Japanese create second-generation cow clone

A 96-pound bull calf born in Japan last weekend is the first large mammal to be 're-cloned'. The calf has been successfully cloned from the clone of a bull. Scientists in America had previously only produced second-generation clones in mice.

The Japanese scientists at the Kagoshima Prefectural Cattle Breeding Development say that the calf, and another expected to be born in March, will allow them to study the health, life-expectancy and aging processes of cloned animals. Some concerns have been raised about this by previous research which has shown that cloning may affect the length of telomeres in the chromosome of animals, which shorten naturally with age. Dolly the sheep's telomeres were found to be short at an early stage of her life - causing concerns that clones may age faster than 'normal' animals.

The scientists involved also say that another purpose of the exercise is to produce better quality beef. Norio Tabara stated that the long-term objective of the research was to 'produce good cows consistently. If there is a stud cow of the highest quality, we want that cow to be available more widely.' Cloned beef has been on sale in Japanese supermarkets for two years or more.

The cloning process would also reduce the amount of time needed to breed herds of cattle, which do not normally mate naturally until they are over a year old. In cloning, the tissue of an animal aged only three months could be used. Indeed, skin tissue from the 'parent' bull was taken when the animal was only four months old.