Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Disgraced Stem Cell Scientist to Offer Dog Cloning Services
US company BioArts International has teamed up with disgraced South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk to offer dog cloning services to the public. Five dog owners will be given the opportunity to have their pet cloned in a worldwide auction on 18 June this year, where bidding will start at $100,000. BioArts chief executive, Lou Hawthorne, had previously attempted to
commercially exploit cloning technology by offering customers the chance to clone their pet cats for $50,000, through a company named Genetic Savings. The project failed and Genetic Savings ceased operations in 2006, but Hawthorne says the technology for the dog cloning project - named 'Best Friends Again' - has since improved. BioArts claims it is the only company with the legal rights to clone dogs, using a technique pioneered by researchers at the Roslin Institute in the UK, used to create Dolly the sheep. To do this, it has enlisted the help of the SooAm Biotech Research Foundation, headed by Hwang.
The decision is controversial, however, as Hwang is currently on trial in South Korea for fraud and embezzlement, after his claim to have created the world's first cloned human embryonic stem cell line was revealed to be fraudulent. It is also alleged that he used eggs obtained from a junior researcher working on his team, breaching international ethical codes of practice. 'I know the association with Dr. Hwang is going to be controversial,' said Hawthorne, adding 'one of the contradictions of Dr
Hwang is that he made mistakes on his human stem-cell research, and he's the first to admit that.'
Of the discredited research carried out by Hwang at Seoul National University (SNU) only the creation of a cloned dog named Snuppy, a male Afghan hound, was found to be genuine. Since then Hwang has successfully cloned three female Afghan hounds, and the cloning of grey wolves by his team at the SNU has also been upheld as genuine. 'Our main concern is simply
he's the best when it comes to dog cloning,' said Hawthorne, 'and for that reason it behooves us to work with him'. Although the dogs will be genetically identical, the cloned animals will not behave in the same way as their twin, and bioethicist Arthur Caplan, of the University of Pennsylvania, said owners should not expect to get their old dog back. 'People believe they're going to get their pet back through cloning, but the new cloned dog won't know the old pet's tricks', he said. 'It's a false promise to say you can get your pet back', he warned.
It is likely that the successful bidders will be refunded if the cloning process is unsuccessful or if the cloned animal does not meet their expectations. BioArts has said it will not spend the money unless the dog has been 'signed off'. All the dogs will be examined by a veterinarian prior to delivery and come with one year's health warranty.
'
commercially exploit cloning technology by offering customers the chance to clone their pet cats for $50,000, through a company named Genetic Savings. The project failed and Genetic Savings ceased operations in 2006, but Hawthorne says the technology for the dog cloning project - named 'Best Friends Again' - has since improved. BioArts claims it is the only company with the legal rights to clone dogs, using a technique pioneered by researchers at the Roslin Institute in the UK, used to create Dolly the sheep. To do this, it has enlisted the help of the SooAm Biotech Research Foundation, headed by Hwang.
The decision is controversial, however, as Hwang is currently on trial in South Korea for fraud and embezzlement, after his claim to have created the world's first cloned human embryonic stem cell line was revealed to be fraudulent. It is also alleged that he used eggs obtained from a junior researcher working on his team, breaching international ethical codes of practice. 'I know the association with Dr. Hwang is going to be controversial,' said Hawthorne, adding 'one of the contradictions of Dr
Hwang is that he made mistakes on his human stem-cell research, and he's the first to admit that.'
Of the discredited research carried out by Hwang at Seoul National University (SNU) only the creation of a cloned dog named Snuppy, a male Afghan hound, was found to be genuine. Since then Hwang has successfully cloned three female Afghan hounds, and the cloning of grey wolves by his team at the SNU has also been upheld as genuine. 'Our main concern is simply
he's the best when it comes to dog cloning,' said Hawthorne, 'and for that reason it behooves us to work with him'. Although the dogs will be genetically identical, the cloned animals will not behave in the same way as their twin, and bioethicist Arthur Caplan, of the University of Pennsylvania, said owners should not expect to get their old dog back. 'People believe they're going to get their pet back through cloning, but the new cloned dog won't know the old pet's tricks', he said. 'It's a false promise to say you can get your pet back', he warned.
It is likely that the successful bidders will be refunded if the cloning process is unsuccessful or if the cloned animal does not meet their expectations. BioArts has said it will not spend the money unless the dog has been 'signed off'. All the dogs will be examined by a veterinarian prior to delivery and come with one year's health warranty.
'
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Trash Art
Tim Nobel and Sue Webster take piles of trash and make art with them... but sometimes the art isn't apparent until you see it in a different light.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Don't copy if you can't paste!
A popular motivational speaker was entertaining his audience.
Said he: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who wasn't my wife!"
The audience was in silence and shock.
The speaker added: "And that woman was my mother!"
Laughter and applause........
A week later, a top manager trained by the motivational speaker tried to crack this very effective joke at home. He was a bit foggy after a drink.
He said loudly, "The greatest years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who was not my wife!"
The wife went mad with shock and rage.
Standing there for 20 seconds trying to recall the second half of the joke, the manager finally blurted out "....... and I can't remember who she was !"
Moral of the story: Don't copy if you can't paste!
Said he: "The best years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who wasn't my wife!"
The audience was in silence and shock.
The speaker added: "And that woman was my mother!"
Laughter and applause........
A week later, a top manager trained by the motivational speaker tried to crack this very effective joke at home. He was a bit foggy after a drink.
He said loudly, "The greatest years of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who was not my wife!"
The wife went mad with shock and rage.
Standing there for 20 seconds trying to recall the second half of the joke, the manager finally blurted out "....... and I can't remember who she was !"
Moral of the story: Don't copy if you can't paste!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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