Posted on 08/09/2006 2:43:04 PM PDT by Boiler Plate
Iranian doctors have overseen the country's first animal cloning _ a lamb that died minutes after birth _ and plan future experiments in genetics and stem cell research, a member of the team said Wednesday.
Iran's program is part of the Islamic regime's ambitions to become a regional center for medical, aerospace and nuclear technology _ which has led to an international showdown over Western claims that Tehran also seeks atomic weapons.
"We learned a lot about cloning during the experiment. It made us more hopeful about further cases," said Dr. Morteza Hosseini, a member of cloning team at Isfahan Royan Institute in central Iran.
Hosseini said the cloned sheep died five minutes after birth Aug. 2 due to respiratory problems. The female sheep implanted with the cloned embryo gave birth a week ahead of schedule and was healthy, he said.
Hosseini said Iranian researchers in Tehran and Isfahan expect to carry out more cloning experiments over the coming months.
The program has won backing from Iran's Shiite Muslim religious leaders, who have issued religious decrees authorizing animal cloning but banning any such experiments with humans. A majority of Iran's nearly 70 million people are Shiites, which comprise about 15 percent of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.
Many Sunni Muslim clerics, however, have spoken against cloning in any form.
British scientists made world headlines a decade ago with the cloned sheep Dolly. Since then, rapid progress in stem cell research and genetics have raised widespread debates about ethics and the boundaries of medicine.
Scientists say cloning sheep and other animals could lead to advances in medical research, including using cloned animals to produce human antibodies against diseases.
oh dear - lol!
Their Company is the "Tehran Dating Service"
Creating sex partners for the mullahs.
You were missing a critical keyword. I fixed it for you.
Cloning? Is that allowed? WWMD? (What Would Mohammud Do?)
....guess we better start with the pigs huh?
Doogle
LOL. Room for much comedy with this article.
Hot dog now they can make more "top advisors", "top commanders" and "aids" for OBL.
Note to Iran: Impregnating a sheep is not the same as cloning!
MuckMood Ahmonameanjihad's new harem....
Finally a renewable source of virgins
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Personally, I thought these guys preferred goats, but different strokes for different folks...a virgin is a virgin, no matter how many legs she has.... :-)
I picture Iranians with sheep and reproduction is involved...but not by cloning.
Hence ...
Sheeps?
They need 71 one more to coax the 'hidden imam' out of his hole...
They're confusing insemination with cloning.
This is just too easy.
So many filthy comments spring to mind instantly.
I won't give voice to them...I won't, I won't.....
I Better go before willpower gives out :-)
Bloody 'ell man... It's a story about cloning! Of course it has to be posted twice!
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