Cloning is the production of an exact copy of an original, often used to reproduce type-specific cells. Dolly the sheep was the first cloned animal. Cloning humans is controversial due to ethical concerns, including the destruction of embryos. Some scientists believe cloning extinct or endangered animals could have environmental impacts. Cloning is an imperfect science with more failures than successes, and further research is needed.
Cloning is the asexual production of an exact copy of an original. So, for example, cloning could be used to produce an exact copy of a single cell. The cell copy would be identical to the first cell and have the exact same DNA sequence. In many cases, cloning has been used to reproduce type-specific cells. In some cases, cloning of an individual organism, such as Dolly the sheep, has been possible.
Unlike reproduction which involves two “parents,” such as a male and a female plant, cloning has only one parent. This is often used in the reproduction of some plants. Some plants have undergone cloning processes for thousands of years, but they play no part in the ethical debates surrounding the cloning of animals, and especially humans.
For example, reproductive cloning of animals was first attempted in the 1950s. Most identify Dolly the sheep, cloned in 1996. Dolly’s parent transferred the DNA into an egg that had its nucleus removed. This is called somatic cell nuclear transfer. The cell was then treated with chemicals and stimulated to grow so that an almost exact replica of the cloned sheep was born.
In reality, Dolly was not an exact clone of her parent. She shared the same DNA, but some of the genetic material from the donor cell also became part of Dolly’s parents. This is only 01% of Dolly’s DNA, but it makes a negligible difference.
The resulting cloning into Dolly wasn’t exactly straightforward. In fact, it took 277 donated eggs and the production of 29 embryos before obtaining a live birth. Calf cloning experiments with somatic cell nuclear transfer were successful less than 1% of the time.
However, the idea of cloning humans still remains. While many people find that cloning human tissue, such as organs for transplantation, can be beneficial, many others believe that cloning an entire human being is unethical. Some scientists with no religious affiliation also believe that the ethical issues that might arise from prolonging life through cloned tissue need further examination.
From a moral standpoint, a lot has to do with how some reproductive clones are made. Many believe that an embryo, even if simply fertilized with sperm and egg, is a human being and therefore should not be destroyed. Experimenting with embryos to produce clones often leads to the death of the embryo. Furthermore, some believe that cloned embryos could be used specifically to harvest body parts and then killed.
Some also believe that harvesting stem cells from an embryo is also wrong, or that creating embryos for the purpose of harvesting stem cells is unethical. Others argue that stem cell research could point the way to curing diseases for which there is currently no cure. It should be noted, however, that fewer people object to the idea of cloning a body part than cloning a human being.
Others are concerned about the cloning of extinct or endangered animals. Indeed Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park dealt with this theme extensively. Especially since real dinosaur DNA was recently found, in abundance enough to clone, some scientists are concerned about the environmental impact that could result from reproducing a long-dead species.
In some countries, stem cell research has been stopped, when it involves the cloning of human embryos. Other scientists investigate the possibility of finding stem cells elsewhere, such as in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. Some countries are suspected of trying to clone an entire human being, but have not yet achieved it.
Although cloning is in the news a lot, it is still an imperfect science with more failures than successes at the moment. This suggests that scientists may not fully understand all the mechanisms involved in creating an exact copy of another organism. With further research, such mechanisms can be understood and pave the way towards clone creation. However, doing so risks provoking continued controversy.
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