Editors of the journal Science have chosen the cloning of Dolly the sheep by researchers in Scotland as the top breakthrough of 1997.
Announcement of the research that produced Dolly, the world's first cloned adult mammal, ignited passionate debate about the potential for human cloning and challenged scientists' assumptions about aging, since Dolly's DNA is older than she is. The December 19, 1997, issue of Science that contains the top 10 breakthroughs also contains a report from Dolly's Scottish creators on cloned, transgenic sheep they have produced that are capable of making a blood coagulant used to treat hemophilia.
Among the other top breakthroughs named was progress in understanding neurological diseases, including the discovery of a receptor protein critical to the development of healthy dopamine circuits that could aid people with Parkinson disease.
