Scientists at San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research have managed to convert specialised skin cells into unspecialised stem cells. The next stage is to convert the stem cells into viable sperm and eggs which could then be used to boost genetic diversity in wild populations. The first two species targeted have been the northern white rhinoceros and a primate called a drill, but skin cells and tissue samples have been collected from more than 800 species, now stored in a 'Frozen Zoo'
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