Editing 2003 (section)

=== Biology and genetics ===
The [[Herto Man]] fossils, first discovered in Ethiopia in 1997, were dated to approximately 160,000 years ago and proposed as a human subspecies ''Homo sapiens idaltu''. The findings provided additional evidence for the theory that humans [[Recent African origin of modern humans|originated in Africa]].<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=149}} A set of skulls, first discovered in Mexico in 1959, were dated to approximately 13,000 years ago.<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=151}}

The first report for the 2000 [[Census of Marine Life]] was published in October, announcing that it had catalogued 15,304 species, including 500 newly discovered during the program.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=480}} A plan to breed the [[Iberian lynx]] was made in April to protect it from extinction.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=489}} An alternate theory for the [[Permian–Triassic extinction event]] was proposed in a study published on November 21, suggesting that it was caused by an asteroid impact instead of the more commonly accepted theory of volcanic activity.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=480}} Study of ''[[Microraptor]]'' fossils provided support for the hypothesis that dinosaurs evolved from gliding animals.<ref name=":15" />{{Rp|page=142}} The use of [[genetically modified crops]] was a controversial issue, particularly in the European Union where a moratorium on [[genetically modified food]] remained in effect. Many other countries expanded their production of genetically modified crops.<ref name=":52" />{{Rp|page=147}}

[[Human cloning]] was a subject of international scrutiny in 2003, triggered in part by the disputed claims of the [[Raëlist]] company [[Clonaid]] that they had produced human clones. Several countries supported international bans on human cloning.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=478}} The cloned sheep [[Dolly (sheep)|Dolly]] died on February 21 after living only six years, raising doubts about the viability of cloning. A study of mouse [[stem cells]] announced the creation of artificial eggs, while another announced that adult cells could be converted into stem cells by combining them with rabbit eggs. A study on chimpanzee DNA indicated that chimpanzees share 99.4 percent of their DNA with humans, instead of the previous estimate of 95 percent.<ref name=":162" />{{Rp|page=479}}