US ferret cloned from 33-year-old DNA

[Still Waters 53,795]

US scientists have successfully cloned a highly-endangered black-footed ferret using DNA from an identical animal that has been frozen since 1988.

The birth of the ferret, named Elizabeth Ann, was announced by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The cloning is a first for a US endangered species.

Once thought to be extinct, all black-footed ferrets are descended from seven ancestors that were found in 1981.

Scientists say the clone will help increase the population's gene pool.

Elizabeth Ann's birth on 10 December was announced as a "bold step forward" by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on Thursday.

She was cloned from the DNA of an animal named Willa.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56132410

https://apnews.com/article/1st-cloned-endagered-species-ferret-23cde3908e496692648dc28d4b8121ee