"We had believed that we could create an infinite number of clones. That is why these results are so disappointing," study senior author Teruhiko Wakayama stated, highlighting the unexpected limitations encountered in the cloning process.
Asexual reproduction is ultimately unsustainable for mice, and potentially other mammals, too. The clones looked normal and lived as long as normal mice. But large mutations - including the loss of an entire chromosome - accumulated in the cloned lineage at an unusually high rate.
Researchers analyzed the DNA of nearly 50 wild and domestic grape seeds collected at archaeological sites mostly across France. The pips dated from the Bronze Age, or around 2300 BCE, through to 1500 CE, nearly 4,000 years.
This early stage research could one day also be used to treat infertility for women of advanced maternal age "or those who are unable to produce viable eggs due to previous treatment of cancer or other causes," according to an OHSU post. Yes, but: The Portland-based team noted several limitations in their proof-of-concept study, published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, notably that all of the embryos had chromosomal abnormalities.
US scientists have, for the first time, made early-stage human embryos by manipulating DNA taken from people's skin cells and then fertilising it with sperm. The technique could overcome infertility due to old age or disease, by using almost any cell in the body as the starting point for life. It could even allow same-sex couples to have a genetically related child.
When you're writing your first Rust programs, the complexities of ownership and borrowing can be dizzying. If all you want to do is write a simple program that doesn't need to be performant, Rust's memory management might seem intrusive.
