A breakthrough in animal breeding! A Chinese research team has successfully developed a "whole genome selection somatic cell cloning" technology for yaks.
In March 2026, the second batch of cloned yaks achieved 10 pregnancies with all resulting calves born naturally — a successful 1-to-10 scale trial.
Key benefits:
Genomic selection identifies superior traits: larger size, faster growth, disease resistance, and tolerance to high altitude & cold.
Somatic cell cloning enables 1:1 replication, shortening breeding cycles to within 5 years, while natural yak reproduction is only ~20%.
This technology can help reverse yak genetic degradation (growth rate dropping ~8% over the past decade) and accelerate the establishment of high-quality core yak populations.