24th June 1999

Cloning the panda

unique to: this means that the giant panda is only found in China

clone: an animal or plant that is produced artifically from the cells of another animal or plant. Used also as a verb - to clone

endangered: commonly used to describe animals or plants that are getting increasingly rare and are in danger of disappearing from the planet

breed: a particular type of animal: a subgroup within a species

genetic material: general term for things like genes and the DNA found in genes

embryo: an animal or human in the very early stages of development in the womb

This, however, is unlikely at the first attempt. Cloning is still a hit and miss procedure - the scientists who created Dolly the Sheep tried nearly 300 times before Dolly was born. And nobody knows whether genetic material from a panda injected into a rabbit egg would grow into a normal animal. Nevertheless, if Chinese scientists are to achieve their dream of creating the world’s first clone of a giant panda, this is a crucial first step.

hit and miss: means that there is an element of luck involved and that is it often difficult to predict the results

Dolly the Sheep: a sheep cloned by scientists in Scotland

injected: using a syringe to get a liquid or substance deep into something