BRAZILIAN SCIENTISTS SAY THEY EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO CLONE 
CATTLE BY THE END OF THE YEAR, USING A PROCESS SIMILAR TO THE ONE
THAT PRODUCED MONKEY CLONES IN OREGON.  

PROFESSOR JOSE ANTONIO VISINTIN OF THE VETERINARY MEDICINE
SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAO PAULO SAYS HIS GOAL IS TO COME UP
WITH CATTLE THAT CAN PRODUCE MORE MEAT AND MILK.

WE ARE GOING TO WORK WITH EMBRYOS.  WE WILL TAKE THE FERTILIZED 
EGGS FROM ANY COW, REMOVE THE NUCLEI FROM THESE EGGS, CHOOSING A 
HIGH QUALITY EMBRYO FROM A GOOD PRODUCING FATHER AND MOTHER.  WE 
ARE GOING TO CULTIVATE THIS FOR SEVEN TO NINE DAYS, AND TRANSFER 
THIS NEW EMBRYO TO ANY OTHER COW. 

PROFESSOR VISINTIN SAYS HE CANNOT START THE PROJECT YET BECAUSE 
HE NEEDS MORE TRAINING FOR HIS STAFF AND EQUIPMENT FOR ATTACHING 
THE CELLS TO THE NEW EGG IN A PROCESS CALLED ELECTRO-FUSION.

THE BRAZILIAN SCIENTIST SAYS THE TECHNIQUE DIFFERS FROM THE ONE 
USED IN SCOTLAND TO CLONE A SHEEP.

I AM STARTING WITH EMBRYOS OF ONLY 16 OR 32 CELLS. THEY ARE 
CLONED AMONG EACH OTHER'S CELLS, BUT THE FATHER AND MOTHER ARE 
DIFFERENT.  THIS PROCESS LIMITS THE NUMBER OF CLONED ANIMALS. 
EACH CLONE HAS DIFFERENT GENETIC MATERIAL. 

PROFESSOR VISINTIN SAYS IF A HERD OF CATTLE ALL HAD THE SAME 
GENETIC MATERIAL THEY COULD BE DEVASTATED BY DISEASE, BUT 
SCIENTISTS ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WOULD NEVER PRODUCE SUCH
A HERD. 

BRAZIL HAS A NATIONAL LAW ON BIOLOGICAL SECURITY THAT PROHIBITS 
GENETIC MANIPULATION OF HUMAN EMBRYOS, BUT PROFESSOR VISINTIN 
SAYS THIS IS NOT AN OBSTACLE TO HIS RESEARCH WITH CATTLE. 

THE BIG PROBLEM IS HUMANS. NOBODY IS THINKING ABOUT CLONING 
PEOPLE.  WE WANT TO CLONE ANIMALS AND PLANTS, TO PRODUCE FOOD FOR
HUMANS WHO ARE ALREADY ALIVE. 

PROFESSOR VISINTIN SAYS BRAZIL'S NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 
CORPORATION IS PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR HIS PROJECT, 
BUT NO FUNDS.