Copy cats -- and dogs

Hello Dolly
Dolly was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell.
Roslin Institute

On July 5, 1996, the first cloned sheep made her way into the world. Dolly, a Finn Dorset ewe, was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.

Dolly's very existence overturned long-held scientific theories that proclaimed such cloning was biologically impossible. Her birth inspired researchers, troubled theologians and raised the hopes of millions who view cloning as a path to curing human illnesses.

Copy cat
CC, short for Carbon Copy, was born in 2002. She's believed to be the first cloned companion animal.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

Dolly died in 2003. But her life prompted many of today's ongoing debates. Dolly got the public talking about everything from the ethics of human cloning to the morality of embryonic stem cells.

This sheep's birth not only raised questions; it also set off a scientific race of sorts, with researchers rushing to see who could clone what first. In fact, since Dolly's birth, scientists have successfully cloned at least 15 different animal species.

Reporter Nikki Tundel talks to the Current's Mary Lucia about the most recent additions to the clone community.

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