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Scientists Have Cloned Monkeys for The First Time

A team of Chinese researchers have reported that they have successfully created two cloned monkeys.

The cloned monkeys are two small macaques, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, and were birthed using the same technique that created Dolly the sheep in 1996.

Identical to each other and the original cell donor, they share the same DNA and were created using fetal cells grown in a petri dish.

They were born at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, according to the report published in Cell.

Over the last 22 years, scientists have cloned 23 mammal species, including cattle, cats, deer, dogs, horses, mules, oxen, rabbits and rats. This is however the first time primates are cloned, our closest relatives.

The scientists working on the project made 79 embryos from fetal cells, which were implanted into 21 surrogates. However, Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua were the only two to survive.

Whether the clone twins will survive for long, or even be healthy, remains unknown. But one thing is for sure, we will not be seeing human clones anytime soon.

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