Research on Ice

Since Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk fell from grace last year over his now-discredited work on human cloning, he has been stripped of his position at Seoul National University and currently faces trial on charges of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the donors who sponsored his work. At last week’s hearing, Hwang explained that while some of the cash may have found its way into extracurricular projects, “all of the money was used for the purpose of research.” Besides paying for one scientist’s wedding and another’s housing, that research agenda apparently included attempts to clone Ice-Age mammoths, using tissues of the extinct animal obtained from glaciers. Sadly, Hwang reported, his attempts to recreate Jurassic Park failed, as did an effort to clone tigers—which may come as a relief to cloned Afghan hound Snuppy, who remains Hwang’s most impressive proven achievement.