Dolly the sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, was born on July 5, 1996, although her birth was not publicly announced until several months later. Created by scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, Dolly represented a major breakthrough in genetic research, demonstrating that specialized cells could be used to create an exact copy of the animal they came from. This landmark achievement sparked worldwide discussion about the implications of cloning, leading to advances in genetics, medicine, and a reevaluation of ethical standards in biotechnology.
