Daily Skimm

Monkey Dupe

The Story

For the first time ever, a cloned rhesus monkey reached adulthood.

And clones usually live how long…?

Another rhesus monkey cloned in 2022 reportedly lived less than 12 hours. Here's how the animal cloning process typically works: Scientists take a nucleus from a cell of the original animal’s body, stick it into an egg cell, grow it et voilà: animal dupe. But the vast majority of cloning efforts fail, with many embryos developing birth defects or not making it. This time, Shanghai-based researchers switched up the process so the clone could develop a healthier placenta. Researchers think this could have helped reduce birth defects.

And that helped this rhesus monkey?

It may have. ReTro, short for "trophoblast replacement," surpassed the age of 2 (adulthood for rhesus monkeys, apparently) and is still going strong, according to the study. In case you need a reminder, here’s a walk down memory lane or ‘Where Are They Now: Clones Edition’:

• Dolly the Sheep: In 1996, Dolly became the first successfully cloned mammal. She even went on to become a mother herself (a big deal since many didn’t know if cloned animals could reproduce). In 2003, she was euthanized after developing a lung condition.

• Millie, Christa, Carrel, Dotcom, and Alexis: Five piglets cloned in 2000 (special shoutout to whoever named Dotcom). Four of the piglets survived past six months, with three dying of heart failure. Still, many saw this as a step toward getting organs to humans in need of things like heart transplants (which researchers are still working on).

• Copy Cat: In 2001, scientists at Texas A&M University cloned the first cat, naming her CC for Copy Cat. She lived to the age of 18 and died after being diagnosed with kidney failure. Still, she lived a relatively normal cat life and had three kittens of her own.

• Snuppy: The first doggo to be cloned, in 2005. Since then, the market for cloned dogs has grown, with hundreds of cloned dogs now walking amongst us (if you walk amongst the wealthy). Some apparently have different personalities than the OG pooch.

Why are people cloning rhesus monkeys again?

Medical research. Monkeys are biologically similar to humans, which is why ReTro doing well is a big deal. Researchers in China reportedly say that it could help with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s research down the road. Still, one critic reportedly said cloning animals drains resources, with ReTro being the one successful clone out of 484 attempts involving seven surrogate monkeys. Some have also raised concerns about animal welfare and whether this could pave a path toward human cloning. This is in addition to all the regular ethical concerns over animal testing.