Core Insights - The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has successfully completed the world's first somatic cell cloning of a male yak, which has survived healthily for two months [1][2] - The cloning technology addresses the issue of male infertility in yaks, allowing for the stable inheritance of superior traits and potential large-scale breeding of quality genetic resources [1] Group 1: Cloning Achievement - The cloning was achieved by extracting somatic cells from a 9-year-old male yak and implanting them into a surrogate cow, resulting in a healthy calf weighing 26 kilograms [1] - Genetic testing confirmed that the cloned calf is genetically identical to the donor yak, marking a significant advancement in precision reproduction technology [1] Group 2: Technical Challenges Overcome - The research team overcame two major technical challenges in cloning animals in the high-altitude environment of the Tibetan Plateau [2] - They established a high-altitude embryo culture system to control temperature and pH for early embryo development, and developed a plan for selecting surrogate mothers and synchronizing estrus to improve pregnancy success rates [2] - This research is the first successful application of somatic cell cloning technology in the in-situ conservation system of high-altitude resources, supported by national key research and development programs [2]