10 Facts about Dolly the Sheep

Thursday, October 6th 2016. | Science

Facts about Dolly the Sheep present the information about a female domestic sheep. She was born on 5th July 1996 and died on 14th February 2003. The process of nuclear transfer was applied by using the adult somatic cells to create the first cloned mammal of Dolly. PPL Therapeutics and the UK’s Ministry of Agriculture provided the funding for Dolly’s cloning. The people involved in the cloning process include Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and other colleagues. Find out other interesting facts about Dolly the Sheep below:

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 1: the birth date of Dolly

The birth date of Dolly was on 5th July 1996. However, it was very sad to note that five months before Dolly had its seventh birthday; it died because of progressive lung disease.

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 2: the fame

Since Dolly was the first cloned mammal, it was very famous in the world. There are many sources like Scientific American and BBC News, which call it as the most famous sheep in the world. Check facts about cloning animals here.

dolly the sheep pictures

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 3: the cell

The mammary gland is the source of the cell used for the cloning of Dolly the Sheep.

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 4: creating a whole individual

After the successful cloning of Dolly, it was proved that a whole individual could be recreated from a cell taken from a particular part of the body. Check facts about animal cloning here.

dolly the sheep facts

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 5: the name of the sheep

It seems that the name Dolly assigned for the sheep was inspired from Dolly Parton.

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 6: the mothers of Dolly

If you think that Dolly only had one mother, you are wrong. This sheep had three mothers. One mother provided the DNA. The second mother gave the egg. The last mother carried the cloned embryo.

facts about dolly the sheep

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 7: the attention for Dolly

Dolly became the center of attention after the public saw the announcement on February 22, 1997.

Facts about Dolly the Sheep 8: the special report

The public was curious about Dolly. There was a special report for Dolly the Sheep featured in Time Magazine. It was also seen on TV when the sheep played with the Scottish scientists. Dolly was considered as the breakthrough of the year in Time.