Genetic engineering
Clone sheep Dolly’s spiritual father: Ian Wilmut is dead
One of the spiritual fathers of the clone sheep Dolly, Ian Wilmut, is dead. The scientist died at the age of 79, as the Scottish University of Edinburgh announced. photo
© Maurice Mcdonald/PA Wire/dpa
Clone sheep Dolly was his greatest success, but it also earned him a lot of criticism. Most recently, Ian Wilmut has also been involved in Parkinson’s research. Now he has died.
One of the spiritual fathers of the clone sheep Dolly, Ian Wilmut, is dead. The scientist died at the age of 79, the Scottish University of Edinburgh announced. Wilmut had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for several years. Even in his old age, he was available as an advisor to researchers in this area.
Dolly – named after country singer Dolly Parton – was the first exact copy of a mammal and was born on July 5, 1996. The lamb was cloned from a mature somatic cell of a female sheep; Dolly did not have a biological father. The animal spent its short life in the service of science: instead of being kept in a meadow, it was kept in a building under heavy guard.
Wilmut was born on July 7, 1944 in Hampton Lucey, England. He wanted to become a farmer and initially studied agricultural science at the University of Nottingham. He later turned to embryology. He presented his sensational cloning experiments as director of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
Wilmut, who was honored with many awards, was also criticized himself. There was a dispute about who in the research team had the greatest share in the breakthrough. Finally, Wilmut acknowledged that this honor belongs to his colleague Keith Campbell.
Dolly herself died early, at the age of six: she suffered from joint problems and had lung disease. It now sits stuffed in a display case in a museum in Edinburgh.