The largest animal cloning factory in the world is now likely underway in China —
a path "no one has ever travelled" in cattle cloning and meeting the country's skyrocketing demand for beef. The projected 14,000-square-meter factory will be built and operated by Boyalife, which is allotting 200 million yuan ($313 million) for the project.
They are hoping at the moment to produce 100,000 cow embryos annually and to contribute five percent of China's premium cattle.
"We are building something that has not existed in the past," said Xu in an interview.
Boyalife scientists will also explore cloning champion racehorses as well as sniffer dogs that can assist in rescue operations or detect illegal drugs. Xu added that helping save critically endangered species is another one of their targets.
"This is going to change our world and our lives," the CEO said of the factory, which is among the latest moves of China to lead in cloning technology worldwide.
Uh huh. Ostensibly for cattle, racehorses, crime-fighting canines, and environmental responsibility. And humans too, as reported by the telegraph earlier this year.
China has been ordered to 'rein in' scientists who have edited the DNA of human embryos for the first time, a practice banned in Europe.
In a world's first, researchers at the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou confirmed they had engineered embryos to modify the gene responsible for the fatal blood disorder thalassaemia.
The team, led by Junjiu Huang attempted to head off fears of eugenics by claiming the embryos were 'non-viable' and could never had become babies.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 28 2015, @10:33PM
I don't think that the Chinese ever do anything by halfs. It's all or nothing. Expect things to speed ahead for a few years, then some crazy thing happens, and they'll outlaw cloning.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Sunday November 29 2015, @12:17AM
No, I think they'll keep racing ahead and we'll be left in the dust.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 28 2015, @10:47PM
No publicity is bad publicity. Now everyone goes to BP for gas because they are familiar. Nobody has heard of Chevron!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by frojack on Saturday November 28 2015, @11:31PM
When has producing embryos, either human or cattle been a major stumbling block in China.
This makes no sense at all. Its the gestation that is the expensive part of the process.
Bovine artificial insemination has been a thing for over a hundred years.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 29 2015, @05:05AM
Big ole cattle. Big ole and fat. That you eat.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Sunday November 29 2015, @05:34AM
Not only that, but bulk ovulations and embryo harvesting and transplanting has been routine for at least 30 years. You still need to grow that "clone" in utero, it still takes just as long and just as many host cows. From TFA, it appears the benefit is in rapidly upgrading their herds from ordinary cattle to better meat producers without the tedium of an interim generation, basically all at once instead of 25 ova at a crack.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by patella.whack on Sunday November 29 2015, @12:03PM
I'm not sure when, but Geez, the implication here is that there are institutionalized procedures and infrastructure supported by a nation-state dedicated to genetic modification.
Serious business.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 29 2015, @11:29AM
We shall take only the greatest minds, the finest soldiers, the most faithful servants. We shall multiply them a thousandfold and release them to usher in a new era of glory.
Col. Corazon Santiago, "The Council of War"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 29 2015, @12:49PM
Only in China.
Come to China, we clone lions...