Dolly co-creator- Her death reveals cloning dangers

SINGAPORE -- A Singapore-based scientist who was part of the team that created Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, said Saturday her premature death was proof of the many dangers of cloning.

Dolly was put to death Friday, after premature aging and disease raised questions about the practicality of cloning.

"I think it highlights more than ever the foolishness of those who want to legalize reproductive cloning," said Alan Colman, one of the scientists behind Dolly's birth in 1996. "In the case of humans, it would be scandalous to go ahead given our knowledge about the long-term affects of cloning."

Scientists decided to end Dolly's life at age 6 because a veterinarian confirmed she had a progressive lung disease.

"Obviously it is the end of a sort of era," Colman said. "I was very fond of the old girl."

Dolly was the first mammal cloned from an adult stem cell. Since then, whole herds of cattle, sheep, pigs and other animals have been cloned.