1/24/2003: Cloned cat not copied

[Undertoad]

Normally I avoid stories that have been so completely linked-to by other sites. But I noticed that, in this story, the photos tell you more than the text possibly could - and every version of the story used the same AP photo, and they all reduced it to postage-stamp size.

So you couldn't really get the gist of it: the cat on the right is a clone of the cat on the left, and the whole point is that they are NOT identical.

Above is the largest version of the wire service image that I could find, and it shows you some of the differences, but don't you wish they had some shots that were better for comparison?

The cat on the left is named "Rainbow", and I was able to find this face-on shot of her. These colors are more accurate:



It brings to mind another question: why are the colors in this shot so different from the first image? Because color photography is not an exact science either, and the wire service photo, the first shot, has highly inaccurate colors. And those inaccurate colors are reproduced in just about every web version of the story.

The cat on the right is named "cc", and one site had this image (mislabeled as Rainbow by the "news" organization):



The above shot was probably part of the same package as the first, based on its clarity and color. (Oh yeah, and it's sitting on the same table with the same background.)

The story notes that the cats are very different. Besides their color differences, Rainbow is reserved; cc is curious and playful. Rainbow is chunky; cc is sleek.

The clone does have the same DNA as the original, but my understanding of genetics is weak and I dare not reproduce any errors in explanation that were already introduced to the world by shoddy reporting and photography.

This was the first time a household pet was cloned -- that we know of.

In the bigger picture, what does this say about cloning and how we feel about cloning? Making a match of "you" is impossible. The different conditions that have existed for your entire life cannot be matched. The experiences that make you what you are, and even what you look like, are all your own. Your brain is more powerful than your DNA. The raw materials that make up a human being do not describe what a person is.

Cool.