Fifteen Years On: The 1996 Vintage
There are few years that totally pass us by; nearly every one will hold some events of significance for us as individuals whether it be a new job, a new house or perhaps even a new relationship. For those of us that are old enough, the birth of a child – or a grandchild – will really make the year special. And 1996 was no different, having had its fair share of ‘new arrivals’.
The most famous is surely Dolly the Sheep, a creature made special because she was the first mammal ever to have been cloned from an adult cell. Her origins lay in an ovine mammary gland, and once born the team at the Roslin Institute in Scotland could think of no more appropriate name than Dolly. The reason for this choice of name might not immediately be obvious, as sometimes we forget scientists might have a sense of humour, so I will make it plain. The original cell was extracted from adult mammary tissue. And she was named Dolly, in honour of Dolly Parton. Geddit?
Like some of the most iconic superstars in the history of mankind – Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Jimi Hendrix, to name just three examples – Dolly’s brilliant light shone for only a short while. She lived a life of carefree luxury (I am reliably informed that is how sheep view the indoor life) before a tragic death that came all too soon. Although here the cause was not a drug overdose, or a high-speed car crash, but the rather more mundane arthritis and lung disease which resulted in her eventual euthanasia. Sadly, those that created her, also despatched her. In dying before her time Dolly the Sheep will remain unique, holding an unassailable ‘she was the first’ position in the history of human achievement. Sadly for the team that created her, however, none of their names reverberate in the same manner as Dolly’s. There is only Dolly. I challenge you to name a single employee of the Roslin Institute, safe in the knowledge that – unless you work there of course – you will be unable to. Despite this being one of mankind’s most remarkable achievements, there is no famous name that will live forever down mankind’s generations. There is no Wright brother here. There is no Neil Armstrong, no Yuri Gagarin. There is no Edmund Hillary behind the scenes. There is no Pikachu.
