Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut led a revolution in the world of science when they introduced Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, to the world in 1997. Along with this milestone, they also opened a debate at the social level about mans ability to challenge the reproductive rules of nature over violations of religious statutes.

Dolly the sheep

Dolly, born on July 5, 1996, became the image of technological advances and a symbol of progress. Dolly was born from a mammary glandular cell (adult cell) from a sheep that had already died. That is to say, from a cell of the udder of a female that was united with an ovule with which they inseminated another sheep. It was not a normal process involving the known elements of reproduction such as the egg and the sperm. Dolly was the first large animal to be cloned, but not the first in human history.

Dolly the sheep with one of its creators. Photo: Via El Mundo Today

In 1962, Sir John Gurdon, known as the godfather of cloning, extracted a cell from one frogs intestine to inject it into another and obtain adult frogs. And so, just over 30 years before Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animals that gave way to the sheep and a series of experiments on cows, dogs and more had arrived in the world. So, if they had already successfully cloned, why was Dolly the sheep that caused the most impact in society and remains in our memory?

The circumstances around Dolly were correct, but above all it was time. In 1962, society was hardly freed from the torment of World War II, a conflict loaded with hate speech, but above all, with extreme ideologies about humanity and the superiority of certain races. Hitler began to realize his dream based on the deaths of millions of people and human scientific and social experimentation.

Why, less than 20 years from the end, should they want to talk about it? The 1960s, while liberating in many human respects such as sexuality and gender roles, also represented a time of political oppression where the Cold War with the space race reached its peak.

Dolly the Sheep / .

However, the 90s were totally different. In 1997, the younger generations had many questions, but few answers with the imminent arrival of an unknown and unstable new millennium. But most important of all, was the internet, which was already beginning to emerge as the way that would revolutionize communication and the way we inform ourselves. Intimately related to science, the internet and the evolution of the media, allowed societies to know more about any topic and related things. And so, in a chaotic time that asked for something more, Dolly the sheep arrived or a miracle of science.

Dollys kidnapping or the attempt

In 1998, anti-cloning activists attempted to kidnap Dolly the sheep, but failed. The reason, stupid as it may seem, is because they couldnt distinguish her from the others in the herd. This funny story only hints that Dollys success occurred in every aspect of her cloning, while also giving humans a chance: If they were able to successfully clone a sheep now, when can they do so with a human?

Five cloned little pigs: Noel, Angel, Star, Joy and Mary in 2002. / .

Thats why we remember Dolly, because it came at a time when people were more willing to understand that science could also be challenged, not just religion. Dolly died on February 14, 2003 at the six and a half years, just six months longer than the sheep that gave him life, or rather, the one that provided the cell that allowed scientists to carry out their tests successfully. The causes of its death are not related to its status as a cloned sheep, but due to a progressive lung disease that usually affects mammals of this species.

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Gurdons frogs, first cloned animals before Dolly the sheep - Explica