1. With only about 1,000 pandas left
in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the
endangered species. That's a move similar to what a Texas A&M University
researcher has been undertaking for the past five years in a project
called “Noah's Ark”.
Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary
Medicine and a pioneer in embryo (胚胎) transfer work and related
procedures, says he salutes the Chinese effort and “I wish them all the
best success possible. It's a worthwhile project, certainly not an easy
one, and it's very much like what we're attempting here at Texas A&M—to
save animals from extinction.”
Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos, semen(精子) and DNA of
endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species
should become extinct, Kraemer says there would be enough of the basic
building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals, birds and
reptiles will become extinct over the next 100 years. The panda, native
only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing
cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white
rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy, and the
lack of available panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes.
“They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one
pregnancy. It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be
groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any
live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one
of the leaders of the Missyplicity Project at Texas A&M, the first ever
attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very
similar to our work in Noah's Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that
face extinction. I certainly applaud their effort and there's a lot we can
learn from what they are attempting to do. It's a research that is very
much needed.”
1). The aim of “Noah's Ark” project is to _____
A. implant embryo into a host animal
B. salute the Chinese efforts in saving pandas
C. save endangered animals from extinction
D. introduce cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a
Japanese white rabbit
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