Dolly (sheep)

<p>Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female <a href="/facts/Finn-Dorset/rA9KbUyl">Finn-Dorset</a> sheep and the first <a href="/facts/Mammal/phSwTzBo">mammal</a> that was <a href="/facts/Cloned/Vb6SM4c7">cloned</a> from an adult <a href="/facts/Somatic_cell/Emn7gk9A">somatic cell</a>.  She was cloned by associates of the <a href="/facts/Roslin_Institute/YQV9X66v">Roslin Institute</a> in Scotland, using the process of <a href="/facts/Nuclear_transfer/zCAKMHcG">nuclear transfer</a> from a cell taken from a <a href="/facts/Mammary_gland/6fVBnNSA">mammary gland</a>.  Her cloning proved that a cloned organism could be produced from a mature cell from a specific body part. Contrary to popular belief, she was not the first animal to be cloned.
</p><p>The employment of adult somatic cells in lieu of <a href="/facts/Embryonic_stem_cell/P1n1eS1p">embryonic stem cells</a> for cloning emerged from the foundational work of <a href="/facts/John_Gurdon/ahY231IR">John Gurdon</a>, who cloned <a href="/facts/African_clawed_frog/khG1KPrd">African clawed frogs</a> in 1958 with this approach. The successful cloning of Dolly led to widespread advancements within stem cell research, including the discovery of <a href="/facts/Induced_pluripotent_stem_cell/bGItax29">induced pluripotent stem cells</a>. Dolly lived at the Roslin Institute throughout her life and produced several lambs. She was euthanized at the age of 6 years due to a progressive lung disease. No cause which linked the disease to her cloning was found. Dolly's body was preserved and donated by the Roslin Institute in Scotland to the <a href="/facts/National_Museum_of_Scotland/mg59mqPD">National Museum of Scotland</a>, where it has been regularly exhibited since 2003.
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Dolly (sheep) open-in-new

Dolly (sheep)