Normal development is an inefficient process – only 31 of every 100 human conceptions complete the journey. Development via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), under the direction of adult DNA from a specialized cell is even less efficient, with success rates of about one in 300 or worse. Although nearly as many questions remain as when SCNT was first attempted half a century ago, researchers are closing in on why it is so difficult to emulate normal development starting with this most unusual genetic headquarters.