Bereaved pet owners in the UK are using a unique cloning lab, Gemini Genetics, to bring their animals back to life. Located in Shropshire, the lab has been operational since 2019, providing cloning services for pets like dogs, cats, and horses. Learn more about their cloning process and future advancements by visiting the original article here. The article originally appeared in The Mirror.
Newstro Quick Facts
- Gemini Genetics is the only lab in Europe offering pet cloning services. Since 2019, they’ve cloned around 1,000 pets per year, including dogs, cats, and horses, using DNA extracted from tissue samples provided by owners within five days of their pet’s death.
- Cloning requires samples to be cryogenically preserved in liquid nitrogen. The actual cloning process, conducted by a partner lab in Texas, takes up to a year and costs between £38,000 and £59,000 depending on the species.
- While cloning is banned under EU regulations, the Brexit transition could lead to changes in UK laws, potentially allowing the process to be done on British soil in the future.
Gemini Genetics, based in Shropshire, is Europe’s only pet cloning lab. Established in 2019, the lab initially specialized in artificial insemination for breeding show horses but soon expanded into cloning household pets. The process involves taking tissue samples from a deceased pet within five days, extracting the DNA, and preserving it in liquid nitrogen. These samples are then sent to a partner lab in Texas where the actual cloning process takes place. The entire process can cost up to £59,000, depending on the animal species, and typically takes up to a year to complete.
The lab manager, Lucy Morgan, explains that while cloning is still relatively new, it has evolved significantly since the famous cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996. Today, the cloning process is much more efficient, with higher success rates. Cloned animals, like Gemini’s resident dog, Gem, often have subtle differences in personality from the original but still exhibit similar physical traits. Despite the growing demand, cloning remains a controversial topic, with concerns about animal welfare and ethics.
Gemini Genetics only clones pets like cats, dogs, and horses, but the lab also stores DNA from endangered species such as elephants and rhinos. The DNA samples are preserved for future cloning when the technology may be advanced enough to help save species from extinction. Additionally, celebrities such as Barbara Streisand have expressed interest in cloning their pets, further popularizing the concept. While some people view cloning as an opportunity to maintain a connection with their beloved pets, critics argue that the practice commodifies animals and could lead to unnecessary suffering.
Definitions Table
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cloning | The process of producing genetically identical individuals of an organism through somatic-cell nuclear transfer. |
| Dolly the Sheep | The first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, cloned in 1996 by Scottish scientists. |
| Gemini Genetics | A pet cloning lab located in Shropshire, UK, specializing in cloning cats, dogs, and horses. |
| Brexit | The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, which may affect cloning regulations in the UK. |
| Artificial Insemination | A fertility treatment used to breed animals, initially the main focus of Gemini Genetics before they expanded into cloning. |
| Liquid Nitrogen | A cryogenic liquid used to preserve DNA samples at extremely low temperatures (-196°C). |
| Barbara Streisand | An American singer and actress who publicly revealed that she had her dog cloned twice. |
| Somatic-Cell Nuclear Transfer | The scientific process used to clone animals by transferring the nucleus of a donor cell into an egg cell. |
Read More at Newstro.com