Rare Ox Clone Dies After Birth

D E S   M O I N E S, Iowa, Jan. 12 -- A rare ox called a gaur, cloned andgestated in the womb of a cow in a scientific first, was born thisweek but died two days later of an ordinary disease, scientistsannounced today.

Scientists claimed bittersweet victory in the experiment thatused technology they hope can be used to shore up the numbers ofendangered animals.

The Asian gaur, a bull calf named Noah, was born Monday at Trans-OvaGenetics in Sioux Center, Iowa, and died Wednesday. It was aproject that united the technology of cloning and with that of aninterspecies birth.

Noah Developed in Cow Womb

Noah was the first animal to gestate in the womb of anotherspecies and survive through the late stages of fetal development.Five other cows that became pregnant with cloned gaur fetusesspontaneously aborted the fetuses.

"The data collected clearly indicates that cross-speciescloning worked, and as a scientist, I'm pleased," said PhilipDamiani, a researcher with Advanced Cell Technology.

To create Noah, scientists used the single cell of a dead gaurimplanted into a cow's egg. They first removed the DNA from thecow's egg, ensuring that the interspecies pregnancy produced agaur, not a gaur-cow mix, Damiani said.

Gaur, native to India and Burma, are brownish-black animals withwhite legs, a pronounced shoulder hump and horns that curve inward.The largest of wild cattle, an adult male gaur can reach a shoulderheight of 6 feet and weigh up to a ton with horns 2 feet long.

"Despite this setback, the birth of Noah is grounds for hope,"said Robert Lana, vice president of Medical and ScientificDevelopment at ACT. "We still have a long way to go, but as thisnew technology evolves, it has the potential to save dozens ofendangered species."

Bessie, an ordinary black and white Angus cow, gave birth underthe watchful gaze of geneticists. The experiment cost Advanced CellTechnology around $200,000, Damiani said.

Biotechnology Galloping Along

Some scientists warn that biotechnology is advancing at a paceso fast that society does not have time to ponder its meaning.