Still a Crossbreed, but This Baby Mule Is a Full-Blooded Clone

Idaho Gem's creation, a collaboration between scientists at the University of Idaho and Utah State University, raises the possibility that valuable competition horses or endangered equine species could pass on their genes even if they are sterile or dead.

The births of two more mule clones, genetically identical to Idaho Gem, are expected in June and August.

The mule clone's birth is also a big event for mule racing enthusiasts. The sport, centered in the fairgrounds of Northern California, has been growing in popularity in part because of the rivalry between two racing stars, world champion Black Ruby and Idaho Gem's genetic brother, Taz.

"He sure sounds and looks like he's going to be a Taz," said Don Jacklin, Taz's owner, president of the American Mule Racing Assn. and sponsor of the cloning project. "I have a definite strong interest in securing the availability

In cloning, the genetic material from a nonreproductive cell is inserted into an egg that has had its own genetic material removed. The cell is coaxed to start dividing into an embryo, and it is then implanted into a mother to develop to term. The result is a genetic clone of the animal that donated the genetic material.

Since 1996, scientists have cloned a range of mammals, including sheep, goats, pigs and cows. But they never have had success in cloning a member of the horse family, because it has proved hard to culture the animals' eggs and embryos in a lab.

Scientists Gordon Woods and Dirk Vanderwall of the University of Idaho and Ken White of Utah State said they succeeded in creating a mule clone after altering the culture medium in which they bathed the eggs and embryos.

The scientists' research is being published today in the journal Science.

The birth of Idaho Gem on May 4 and the two pending births involved 334 cloning attempts. Idaho Gem's origins were confirmed by independent genetic testing at UC Davis.

Idaho Gem's origins are strange in ways that go beyond his being half-horse and half-donkey. The scientists opted not to clone Taz directly because of suspicions that using genetic material from an adult animal might cause premature aging in a clone.