China is Creating a Herd of 100 Elite Yak Clones (cnn.com) 25
CNN reports on yaks "designed and cloned" in secretive, high-altitude labs in Tibet — 2.4 miles (4,000 meters) above sea level. They're a critical part of the local economy, and researchers "hope to create an 'elite' herd of super-yaks, healthier and more fertile than their predecessors."
Both domestic yaks and their wild cousins have been facing threats for years, with some rare subspecies at risk of disappearing entirely. Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region have poured tens of millions of dollars into boosting the yak industry in recent years — and they hope cloning can help. The first yak clone came in July 2025, Chinese state media hailing it as a breakthrough achievement that combined cloning with gene selection. More clones were born this spring — and researchers are now aiming to create a herd of more than 100 "elite" yak clones by 2028, boasting desired traits like faster growth and larger size. "This shows the technology has moved from a one-time success to a stable, mass-scale application," said Fang Shengguo, the project's scientific lead and director of the State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife, according to state-run news agency Xinhua...
Many experts acknowledge there are legitimate arguments for using cloning in conservation, and for gene selection in farming. But the ethical waters are murky, and any such project should have high levels of public transparency and accountability, said Lisa Moses, a veterinarian and bioethicist at Harvard Medical School. So far, much of the yak cloning project remains mysterious, with information largely limited to glowing state-media coverage...
[S]ome scientists say these projects reduce our sense of urgency toward fixing the environment, and that we can't simply churn out clones while the planet burns. To truly enact change, they say, we have to continue addressing the root cause of the problem — restoring degraded habitats, lowering carbon emissions, cracking down on poaching, and more. But for others, "there is a strong feeling ... that traditional conservation is essentially failing now," Moses said. "What we've been doing for the last 100 years to try to stave off ecological destruction is not working.... The argument is, we don't have a choice," she added. "If we want to try to do something that will actually make a difference, we need to use these technologies, specifically synthetic biology, to essentially override evolution and change the fitness of the species for the environment that they live in."
"History is littered with good intentions in the environment gone wrong," Moses said, "and I would argue that these technologies have even more unknowns than ones that we previously employed."
The article points out that the number of wild yaks "dropped more than a third in the last 30 years, with just 10,000 to 20,000 individuals left, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society."
The yaks are threatened by climate change and habitat degradation, "with warmer temperatures bringing invasive plant species and increased competition for resources... in one of the world's most inhospitable terrains."
Many experts acknowledge there are legitimate arguments for using cloning in conservation, and for gene selection in farming. But the ethical waters are murky, and any such project should have high levels of public transparency and accountability, said Lisa Moses, a veterinarian and bioethicist at Harvard Medical School. So far, much of the yak cloning project remains mysterious, with information largely limited to glowing state-media coverage...
[S]ome scientists say these projects reduce our sense of urgency toward fixing the environment, and that we can't simply churn out clones while the planet burns. To truly enact change, they say, we have to continue addressing the root cause of the problem — restoring degraded habitats, lowering carbon emissions, cracking down on poaching, and more. But for others, "there is a strong feeling ... that traditional conservation is essentially failing now," Moses said. "What we've been doing for the last 100 years to try to stave off ecological destruction is not working.... The argument is, we don't have a choice," she added. "If we want to try to do something that will actually make a difference, we need to use these technologies, specifically synthetic biology, to essentially override evolution and change the fitness of the species for the environment that they live in."
"History is littered with good intentions in the environment gone wrong," Moses said, "and I would argue that these technologies have even more unknowns than ones that we previously employed."
The article points out that the number of wild yaks "dropped more than a third in the last 30 years, with just 10,000 to 20,000 individuals left, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society."
The yaks are threatened by climate change and habitat degradation, "with warmer temperatures bringing invasive plant species and increased competition for resources... in one of the world's most inhospitable terrains."
Hell Yeah (Score:2, Troll)
I want a super yak! (Score:3, Funny)
make some super raptors (Score:2)
make some super raptors
Re: (Score:3)
I want a super yak!, I promise to take good care of it, and collect super milk every day on time.
I want a pony.
Re: (Score:2)
I want a Yak-130 [wikipedia.org]
Gnus for nerds? (Score:2)
This is definitely something worth yakking about.
Realistically, I'm curious how they compare to cattle for harsher climates, in feeding denser populations. Because they seem to be able to handle terrain that cattle could not exist, much less graze on, like the mountains, it does do something to allow China to have more arable area for raising livestock.
Re: (Score:2)
Could be important with climate change starting to bite. As well as being better adapted, maybe they could produce some cows that fart less methane out.
Maybe they could even save the incel pandas who can't seem to successfully reproduce.
Re: (Score:2)
Could be important with climate change starting to bite. As well as being better adapted, maybe they could produce some cows that fart less methane out.
There's already a solution for that [cornell.edu]: "Red seaweeds from the Asparagopsis genus, which contain the compound bromoform, have been shown to reduce methane production in cattle by up to 97% when they make up around 1% of a cow’s diet."
Also, most of the methane comes from the other end: cows belching gas from their stomachs. And some people have proposed really radical ideas like reducing the number of cows. Not that anyone seriously thinks that will ever catch on.
Re: (Score:2)
I've reduced my meat intake anyway. Partly improving my diet, partly I've just gone off it a bit. I prefer smaller, but very well prepared portions.
Re: (Score:3)
And some people have proposed really radical ideas like reducing the number of cows.
Start with eliminating them from areas populated by people who don't eat beef, don't wear leather products and have a high incidence of lactose intolerance.
See how well that idea goes over. Then come after my hamburger.
Re: Gnus for nerds? (Score:1)
Movie treatment: Attack of the super-yaks (Score:2)
CNN reports on yaks "designed and cloned" in secretive, high-altitude labs in Tibet -- 2.4 miles (4,000 meters) above sea level. ... researchers "hope to create an 'elite' herd of super-yaks"
Is this the plot of the next James Bond movie? Or would it be Austin Powers? Has anyone blamed Anthony Fauci for it yet?
Re: Movie treatment: Attack of the super-yaks (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
don't (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Mod parent Funny. At least I think it's the funniest of the candidate comments and there's a lot of wannabe Funny stuff here already.
The Yak's are a product of the environment (Score:2)
If the intent is to make them grow faster and breed faster then the farmers will also need to barn feed them with low altitude food sources. Or at the very least grow high altitude crops to match the desired metabolic increases.
Monoculture (Score:2)
Bananas have shown us the risk of a genetic monoculture.
Re: Monoculture (Score:2)
It all reminds me of dog breeding too, and the medical issues the dogs suffer from as a result.
I, for one, welcome⦠(Score:2)
You know the restâ¦
Dave Barry would point out... (Score:2)
"The Elite Yak Clones" would be a good name for a rock band...
Yakety Yak (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
lex and yak (Score:2)
While they're at it, they need to clone lex, so lex and yak will be compatible with each other.
Um, what are they going to do with em? (Score:2)