Cloning pioneer behind Dolly the Sheep dies at 79

Wilmut was 79.

Wilmut set off a global discussion about the ethics of cloning when he announced that his team at the university's Roslin Institute for animal biosciences had cloned Dolly using the nucleus of a cell from an adult sheep.

The team combined a cell from the mammary gland of a Finn Dorset with an egg cell taken from a Scottish Blackface - because her DNA came from a mammary gland cell, she was named after the country singer Dolly Parton.

It marked the first time that a genetically identical mammal was created from an adult cell and spurred questions about the potential cloning of humans.

Wilmut later focused on using cloning techniques to make stem cells that could be used in regenerative medicine.

"With the sad news today of Ian Wilmut's passing, science has lost a household name,'" Bruce Whitelaw, the director of the Roslin Institute, said.

"Ian led the research team that produced the first cloned mammal in Dolly. This animal has had such a positive impact on how society engages with science, and how scientists engage with society."

Deputy Director for Science at Australian medical research institute The Florey Clare Parish said Ian Wilmut's groundbreaking research had left an indelible mark on science.

"Most iconic was his creation of Dolly the sheep, in the 1990s, which set new benchmarks around the potential of cloning technology and forever altering our understanding of genetics, reproduction, and the boundaries of medical research and life itself," Professor Parish said.

"His work catalysed a new era of possibilities in agriculture, medicine, and genetics.

"It unlocked doors to potential cures for genetic diseases, revolutionised livestock breeding, and opened vistas of hope for regenerative medicine."

with Australian Associated Press