Scientists in Britain have reacted with skepticism to the announcement by an American fertility specialist that his team has implanted a cloned human embryo into the womb of a 35-year-old woman.
Speaking at a news conference in London, Dr Panos Zavos said that he was waiting to find out if the procedure, which took place two weeks ago, resulted in pregnancy.
A spokesman for Britain's science academy, the Royal Society, said that to embark on human cloning at this stage was astoundingly irresponsible.
Dr Zavos also said that he wants to split a cloned embryo into two - one to be grown into a baby, and one to be stored to provide a 'spare'. He said that this could be stored to become a baby later, or even be used for extra parts to keep the first baby healthy.
