Inside South Korea's dog-cloning lab

Tony from the Starshipsofa podcast writes, "This week I talk (MP3) to freelance science journalist Mark Zastrow about his visit to a controversial Korean lab, led by Woosuk Hwang who is cloning puppy dogs."

Mark Zastrow says "For the past few years, the lab has worked on cloning domestic dogs. Now the researchers plan move on to saving their wild relatives. They want to rescue some of the world's most endangered canids, including the Ethiopian wolf and the dhole, or Asiatic wild dog.

Although an international pariah, Woosuk Hwang still had supporters in South Korea, who funded the creation of a private lab, Sooam Biotech, in Seoul. There he turned to cloning canines — a verified accomplishment — charging bereaved dog owners to clone their recently deceased companions to the tune of $100,000 a pup."

StarStarShip No 427 Michael R. Fletcher and Mark Zastrow
[Starship Sofa]


(Image: Mark Zastrow)