US: The sect that claims to have produced the first human clone said the newborn girl was due to arrive in the US with her American mother late last night, but the announcement was greeted with scepticism by scientists. There were also growing doubts about the validity of tests the group says will vindicate its claims.
Clonaid, a biotechnology company set up by the Raelians, who believe the human race began when ultra-intelligent aliens made clones of themselves, refused to reveal the identity or whereabouts of the baby, known only as Eve, who they said was born in an unnamed country on December 26th.
"The baby is going home, and once at home, it is possible for an independent expert to go there," said Dr Brigitte Boisselier, the company's chief executive. "Once a sample is taken, we will see ... perhaps by the end of the week, or early next week, we should have all the details."
The sect's founder, Rael, a former French motoring journalist named Claude Vorilhon, said there were "thousands" more would-be mothers of clones on Clonaid's waiting list.
"It is good news indeed," the 56-year-old said. "But now that a human clone is born, this is just the first step. There will be more, much, much more."
The company says it will offer the service at about $200,000 per clone, and that another cloned baby will be born next week. It says 2,000 people are waiting for the procedure.
But as cloning experts condemned the Raelians' claims as almost certainly untrue, doubts were also voiced about the science journalist Dr Boisselier has invited to co-ordinate independent DNA tests aimed at establishing whether Eve really is a genetic replica of her mother.
Dr Michael Guillen, who was the award-winning science editor of the US television network ABC until October, said he had accepted Clonaid's invitation "on behalf of the world press, on two conditions: that the invitation be given with no strings attached, and that the tests be conducted by independent, world-class experts". But his detractors say his career at ABC was marked by a credulous stance towards eccentric backwaters of science, including extra-sensory perception, astrology and telekinesis, or mind over matter.
In February last year he interviewed Rael for ABC's news programme 20/20, enthusiastically describing the sect leader, who claims to have met Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed in space, as "the forerunner in this high-stakes competition".
Scientists attempting to clone other primates have routinely failed to produce any pregnancies.
But Dr Boisselier, at Clonaid, has claimed a 50 per cent success rate, achieving five pregnancies with 10 embryo implants.
Dr Guillen could not be reached for comment on the 20/20 interview yesterday.
Dr Boisselier said the name of the expert who would be taking DNA samples would only be revealed later. - (Guardian Service)