By Even if there are only 600 of these, I still don’t see the need to clone them?:
On Wednesday, South Korean researchers said that they have successfully cloned a rare local species of cow during a government-funded project.
The team, led by Jeju National University and Mirae Biotech, said the cloned Huku or black-fur cow is healthy following its birth in September 2009.
Researchers took somatic cells from the ear of the bull before it was butchered in 2008. They kept the cells in cold storage before using them to fertilize eggs, which were then implanted into a cow.
Seoul’s agriculture ministry and the provincial government of Jeju Island funded the project, which has campaigned for years to prevent the Huku from becoming extinct.
The Huku breed is native to Jeju, where about 600 of them are left.
The ministry and the Jeju provincial government provided $1.85 million to help fund the five-year cloning project.
South Korean experts have been successful at cloning many animals in the past, including a cow, a cat, dogs, a pig and a wolf. [Red Orbit]
4:59 am on June 18th, 2010 1
I hope the other cows don't get mad!1
11:59 am on June 18th, 2010 2
"Even if there are only 600 of these, I still don’t see the need to clone them?:"
Empirical experiment is a crucial device in deciding the maturity of any research and development process. By conducting successful cloning experiments like this, these cloning experts are becoming more masterful at what they are doing, which is a good thing considering how cloning could become beneficial to the society which will inherit the cloning technology.
As for why that particular cow was chosen over anything random – scientists just love to give more meaning to their long and arduous academic endeavor. It is their one way of attaining feeling of fulfillment amid torrent of negative feelings that they will feel when their project reaches a low point, and such motivations to succeed are good in keeping scientists' morale high and their senses sharp, which lead to better chances that they'll dish out their best performances.
1:41 pm on June 18th, 2010 3
Yea— and if the korean birth rate keeps dropping this will be the only way to keep the Korean Race alive and "pure".