Cloning Pets: Ethical Debates, Costs, and New Insights into Human Origins

The cloning of pets sparks ethical debates and scrutiny over costs. Kelly Anderson cloned her cat, Chai, for $50,000 after its death, leading to online criticism about the cost and whether she should have adopted instead. Anderson defends her decision, stating it was out of love, not to 'play God.' ViaGen Pets clones pets and is involved in conservation efforts, including cloning an endangered black-footed ferret and a Przewalski's horse. The cloning process involves preserving genetic material, implanting it into an egg, and using a surrogate mother. Cloned animals age naturally and are not genetically modified. Celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton have also cloned their pets. Recent research reveals that modern humans originated from at least two distinct ancestral groups that separated 1.5 million years ago and reunited around 300,000 years ago. One group contributed about 80% of the DNA in modern humans, while the other contributed about 20%. This mixing event had a significant impact on human evolution, particularly in brain development.