Gordon Woods facts for kids

Gordon Woods (July 14, 1952 – August 20, 2009) was an American animal doctor and scientist. He helped create Idaho Gem, the world's first cloned mule. Idaho Gem was also the first clone born in the horse family.

Growing Up and School

Woods grew up in northern Idaho. He earned his first degree from the University of Idaho. He then became an animal doctor, getting his degree from Colorado State University. Later, he earned another advanced degree in how animals reproduce from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

His Work as a Scientist

Woods first taught animal medicine at Cornell University.

In 1986, Woods started his own lab in Idaho. It was called the Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory. He moved to Moscow, Idaho, and taught at Washington State University. In 1988, he joined the University of Idaho as a professor.

Cloning Idaho Gem

In 2003, Woods led a team of scientists who made history. They cloned Idaho Gem, the world's first mule clone. His team included Dr. Dirk Vanderwall from the University of Idaho and Dr. Ken White from Utah State University.

The cloning of Idaho Gem was part of a bigger scientific study. The team wanted to understand human diseases. They noticed that Horses, mules, and other horse-like animals get cancer less often than humans. Woods and his team hoped that studying cloned mules would give them clues. They wanted to learn why cancer rates are different between humans and these animals.

Woods was especially interested in how calcium affects cancer. He knew that horses and mules have less calcium in their cells than humans. His colleague, Dirk Vanderwall, explained Woods' main goal. He said Woods wanted to use horses as a way to understand diseases that affect people as they get older. Woods believed that too much calcium inside human cells might cause these age-related diseases.

Later Career

Woods left the University of Idaho in 2007. He then joined the faculty at Colorado State University. He became a professor in their College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Gordon Woods passed away unexpectedly at the age of 57. He died at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado. He was survived by his wife, Shauna, his four children, six grandchildren, and his mother.