World's first piglet clones created entirely by robots and can be remade every 3 years
dailystar.co.ukScientists have unveiled the world's first ever piglet clones created entirely by robots. The remarkable breakthrough comes from a team of boffins at China's Nankai University, led by professor Zhao Xin.
The seven identical purebred landrace piglets, which are also the world's first animal clones created using only robot automation, were produced by an ordinary "surrogate" sow after 110 days of pregnancy.
The new technique reportedly means that animals can be cloned using just a sample of their genetic material. Moreover, once an identical genetic copy has been created, the pigs can be cloned repeatedly, replacing older animals every three years when they become less fertile.The research was conducted to solve restrictions in access to top-quality breeding animals in China.Nankai University have said their work now offers an effective solution, with their cloning technology capable of recreating the original breeding pigs.
However, despite the breakthrough, the process remains extremely complicated. The technology used is very high-end and the success rate isn't high.Further improvements remain unlikely for now given that there aren't enough people qualified to carry out further research using the tech.
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