Science Friction 01 | Artificial Evolution: Cloning Goes Mainstream
Sep 2, 2025
Join Matt Brown, an Associated Press reporter who uncovered a bizarre cloning conspiracy, and Professor Russell Bonduriansky, an expert in evolutionary ecology, as they dive into the world of cloning. They unravel the shocking story of rancher Jack Schubarth, who attempted to smuggle sheep tissue for cloning trophy animals. Discover the scientific foundations dating back to the creation of Dolly the sheep and the exciting possibilities of cloning pets and horses. Explore the ethical and regulatory landscapes shaping the future of cloning technology.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Backyard Sheep Cloning Conspiracy
- Matt Brown recounts how 81-year-old rancher Jack Schubarth ran a multi-year scheme to clone and traffic protected Marco Polo sheep.
- Schubarth smuggled tissue, worked with a private lab, and sold offspring to game farms across several US states.
How Somatic Cell Cloning Works
- Somatic cell nuclear transfer copies a donor nucleus into an enucleated egg which can develop into an embryo and be implanted in a surrogate.
- This was the core technique that moved cloning from frogs to viable mammal clones like Dolly.
Dolly Showed Mammal Cloning Is Possible
- Dolly proved adult mammal cloning was possible using a nucleus from an adult somatic cell placed into an egg.
- Her birth in 1996 demonstrated mammalian cloning but also highlighted low success rates and developmental complexity.