Happy Birthday Dolly!

Today would have been the 10th birthday of Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, but she died in 2003. So maybe it's a little weird to say Happy Birthday. Anyway, in 1997, the news of Dolly's birth caused alarm and hand wringing over worries that human clones might be next. Well humans weren't next -- lots of other mammals were though. From National Geographic News:

In all, 15 wild and domestic species have been copied, including African wildcats, goats, Asian oxen, deer, and even an Afghan hound ...

Americans can now buy a copy of a beloved cat for $32,000 or a clone of a champion horse for $150,000.

U.S. farmers and ranchers are also plunking down thousands of dollars to duplicate prize bulls, cows, and pigs.

It won't be long before milk from cloned livestock and meat from their offspring arrive on dinner tables, observers say.

Ranchers are waiting for a final report from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on whether products of cloned animals are safe to eat. The report is expected sometime this year.