The cloning of living things has been a debate in the scientific world for many years. However, clone studies also have an important goal: to save endangered or threatened creatures. In this way, like the food chain changing due to human or natural causes. structures that form the backbone of the ecosystem deterioration can be prevented.

To clone a living creature, scientists need undamaged cells that contain all of the genetic information. good the creature to be cloned is no longer alive, the whole dead body is not necessary. Instead, well-preserved cells suitable for the conditions will suffice. This method has been tested in a new study.

Tissue cells obtained from the skin of the tail of a mouse that died nine months ago, with liquid nitrogen filled and dried. As a result of this process, cells died:

Biological sample tubes placed in liquid nitrogen. @Wikipedia

These frozen cells that died were thawed under appropriate conditions after 9 months. Then the female mice nucleated eggs posted:

Mouse oocytes. / O. HIKABE – NATURE Magazine, issue: 538.

“Early mouse embryos”, called “blastocysts”, were formed in the wombs of asexually reproducing mother mice!

Meanwhile, it has been discovered that mouse embryos can be produced from frozen dead cells.

With these embryos, another cloning process was started for the second time. of embryos stem cellsre-implanted into nucleated ova from female mice:

….and the result! The first mouse born this way doramic called (the sweet black thing on the left):

Dorami and her family, cloned from the first freeze-dried skin cell in history. @Yamanashi University

Dorami made history as the first mouse cloned from a freeze-dried skin cell. The big white mouse on the side is a normal mouse. Other little mice Children of Dorami and the white mouse couple†

The researchers then paired the cloned mice with normal mice to test their fertility. All cloned female mice gave birth to offspring. However, there was one big mistake: Some cells had lost the Y chromosome! This ensured that the cloned mouse was female, while the male individual had to be cloned from the frozen cells of male mice.

In the near future, the skin cells of deceased animals will be stored. This allows them to be cloned if their generation is compromised:

Some animals threatened with extinction

Keeping the cells to be preserved for cloning intact for a long time is a very costly and risky process. These cells, which are frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen, if there is a power failure dissolves and becomes unusable. An undisturbed and perfect preservation with liquid nitrogen also requires a very high cost price and is not possible in every laboratory around the corner.

Professor, who led the research at Yamanashi University in Japan. Dr. Backiko Wakayama “If these cells can be stored without liquid nitrogen, it will be easier to store samples from all over the world. Developing countries can protect their own kind in their own country. Also, even in species where only males survive, this technology can be used to create females to revive the species.” made a statement.

Yet there is one major hurdle to discovering the ‘immortality of species’: storage conditions!

The biggest obstacle to the widespread use of the cloning method is that the tissues of a deceased creature can be kept intact for years at a low cost. If this obstacle is overcome, perhaps humanity will have discovered the “immortality of species”.

The scientific article of the research in Nature can be found here.