Mary and her lamb in the biotech era

Some have asked what course do I teach at Universiti Malaya. It's "Science and Religion" - a course I share with my PhD supervisor. Most people I know regard this course as "heavy" and "very philosophical." I don't deny that "Science and Religion" can be heavy, but I find it fascinating as well, especially when we look at everyday case studies. Whether we realise it or not, the interaction between science and religion is an everyday occurrence.

I have been involved with this interaction since my tenure at IKIM. In 2005, while presenting a paper on biotechnology and Islam at a conference held at the Environmental Institute of Malaysia (EiMAS), I came across an interesting nursery rhyme, which is an updated version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I thought that it'd be good to share this with you.

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB – biotech version
Author unknown

Mary had a little lamb

Its fleece was slightly gray

It didn’t have a father

Just some borrowed DNA

It sort of had a mother

Though the ovum was on loan

It was not so much a lambkin

As a little lamby clone

And soon it had a fellow clone

And soon it had some more

It made the children laugh and sing

The teachers found it droll

There were too many lamby clones

For Mary to control

No other could control the sheep

Since their programs didn’t vary

So the scientists resolved it all

By simply cloning Mary

But now they feel quite sheepish

Those scientists unwary

One problem solved, but what to do

With Mary, Mary, Mary?