Forget Dolly the sheep: the big scientific breakthrough in cloning occurred when scientists succeeded in cloning cats at Texas A&M University in 2002. They called the creature Copycat. Since then, all kinds of animals have been cloned: cows, dogs (why? just, why?), pigs, bulls and goats, not to mention glowing fish (tasty!). I think they should clone more mice. And birds. Specifically for cat-hunting purposes.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before those same researchers started tweaking our genes. That's the sort of experiment that can easily go horribly wrong. But the effort paid off last December, when Korean scientists at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju cloned a Turkish Angola kitten, modifying the three resulting copies genetically with a fluorescent protein to change their skin color. When viewed under ultraviolet light, the cloned kitten gives off a red fluorescent glow, while the original kitty appears to be green. (Sadly, one of the three cloned kitties didn't make it.)
It's not just for giggles, either. Cloning can help certain endangered species boost their low reproduction rates, and the genetic tweaking could help scientists better understand certain genetic diseases.
Alas, those same Korean scientists just cloned five little puppies -- as if we need more canines on this planet! -- all of whose names appropriately begin with "booger." Apparently the original dog was called Booger. I think if my humans had named me Booger, I would have spent the rest of my life shredding their furniture and peeing on their shoes in spite, before legally changing it to something more dignified. Like Clio.
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