Cloning is basically the replicating of the DNA of an organism which is then allowed to grow into an adult which has the same genome as the original organism.

The first successful cloning was done on a sheep. The clone, named Dolly was created on 5th of July 1996. Dolly lived for 7 years, whereas the average lifespan of a sheep is 10-12 years.

Since then, many animals like a dog, a monkey, a pig have been cloned, including a pashmina goat Kashmir, which was only the second successfully cloned animal created in india (first being garima, a cloned buffalo calf).

The question arises, that once we perfect the science of cloning, will it be possible to clone entire humans? Of course we could, but the problem arises whilst considering their rights and other ethical issues.

However what must also be considered is the potential to improve the adaptations of humans and animals which make them more suitable for their specific environment. The pashmina sheep are only found in the coldest regions of Jammu and Kashmir at an altitude of 14,000 feet, which is about halfway up the Mount Everest. Noori on the other hand can survive at much lower altitudes and a warmer weather which makes yielding fibres from pashminas much easier.