Cloning

=WHAT IS CLONING?=

"Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two! " (Learn. Genetics) Cloning has been occurring in nature for billions of years, appearing since the birth of bacterias. In fact, asexual reproduction such as the cell division, is a form of cloning. In human population, identical twins are the products of natural cloning. Identical twins have same DNA. In order to create an exact copy of an organism, one can follow the processes of artificial embryo twinning or somatic cell nuclear transfer. In recent years, both the possibility of human and animal cloning have gone under research, with notable results. Currently, there are two types of artificial cloning for humans: therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning, most designed for organ replacement, involves the cloning of a organs or other body parts for scientific and medical needs. Reproductive cloning, on the other hand, duplicates the entire body of a human.

**__Artificial Embryo Twinning__**: Artificially creating twins Naturally, twins are a result of the zygote (fertilized egg) dividing into two separate embryos. Each embryo then develops into a child. Artificial Embryo Tuning is when all of this process happens in a lab instead of a mother's body.

 Artificial Embryo Twinning Animation

__**Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer:**__
This method was used to create Dolly the Sheep in 1997. A __somatic cel__l is any cell in the body other than reproductive cells. __Nuclear__ refers to the nucleus that acts as if it where the command center for cells.It also contains the DNA information. __Transfer__ refers to relocate an object from one place to another. In Somatic Cel Nuclear Transfer, one isolates a somatic cell, then you transfer the nucleus from the somatic cell to an egg cell where the nucleus has been removed. Finally, the new egg cell behaves like a fertilized zygote and develops an embryo. The difference between Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer and the natural way of producing an embryo is that in SCNT you remove the single set of chromosome that lies in the nucleus of the egg cell. By transffering a somatic nucleus, it already has two pairs of chromosomal information.In the natural way, the chromosomal information comes half from the egg cell and half from the sperm cell.

 Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Animation = = = = = = = = = = = = All information comes from: @http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/whatiscloning/ = =

=**ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CLONING**=

**Advantages:**

 * =====**If can have a possibility of producing not a complete body but an organ to save a life of a person who needs the transplant of the organ**=====
 * =====**a cloning of a complete human whose bone is narrow can help save the life of his brother ill of leukemia**=====
 * =====**allow the propagation of animals being close to extinction and maintains ecological balance**=====
 * =====**allows scientists understand why nervous cells don't multiply**=====
 * =====**permits mankind could increase the benefits that would accumulate to the human race**=====
 * =====**makes possibility of preserving certain qualities in selected fruits and plants according to the convenience of human beings and nature**=====
 * =====**makes possible the exact reproduction the 99% of the animals in the world**=====
 * =====**makes one clone have the same characteristics with one parent**=====
 * =====**might enable a sterile woman to have a child from her own body, using any cell of her organism**=====

**Disadvantages:**

 * =====**Low success rates and uncertainty meaning that cloning is a very expensive process and the process attempts is a failure most of the times**=====
 * =====**Susceptibility to diseases meaning that since the immune system is not strong enough to protect the body, the infection rate is very high. When having a disease, the disease goes directly to the offspring**=====
 * =====**Losing gene diversity meaning that the genetic diversity in different individuals helps them to survive diseases.**=====
 * =====**Ethical issues meaning that there a lot of ethical consideration that would cause protests. Cloning is considered unnatural so the people consider it as a ethical concern**=====

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 * Examples of Cloning **


 * Human Cloning
 * When a human is cloned, it is not their sibling or offspring, but their biological clone. This relation is different to a brother/sister or a son.


 *  Animal Cloning
 * There is a cloned cow farm in Sunnydale, Cheshire, England.
 * Dolly the Sheep was the first mammal in the world that was able to be successfully cloned. This was a huge breakthrough for scientists who were working with engineering, as this would enable them to help save endangered species




 * Plant Cloning
 * In order to successfully clone a plant, the person must cut a branch or root from the plant and follow some steps in order to successfully clone a plant. In some cases, plant cloning is not always efficient as the plant may die.

**ETHICS OF HUMAN CLONING **

While scientifically, cloning is undoubtedly an important step forward in the understanding of the biological world, it also has its drawbacks and challenges. To this day, the issue of cloning is highly controversial. The artificial cloning of human beings is amongst the most ethically challenged of all subjects related to bioengineering. Although natural cloning in the form of identical offspring is common place, artificial cloning has received widespread attention and scrutiny throughout the world, both by religious groups and ordinary people.

Advocates of therapeutic and reproductive cloning believe that cloning can greatly improve the life of people. From cloning, medical professionals can provide replacement tissues and organs for transplantations without the issue of using i mmunosuppressive drugs. Furthermore, reproductive cloning not only can allow the hum an to turn chance into choice. ( www.religioustolerance.org) However, religions, especially Christianity, oppose cloning. Christians believe that life is given by god, and any method used by humans to undermine god's role should not be allowed. According to the Bible, the right to sovereign control over human life only belongs to god. ( www.gotquestions.org/‌cloning-Christian.html) They believe that god created everyone to be a unique individual, and cloning goes against such belief. It is viewed as a form "playing god," which itself is a form of self-idolizing. ( www.allaboutpopularissues.org) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">In addition to Christians, the ideas of cloning may conflict with many long-standing values of human dignity, freedom, and identity.

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= Works Cited & References =

= =  · “Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning.” //tutorvista.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://www.tutorvista.com/‌biology/‌advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cloning>. · “Christian ethics and cloning - Are they compatible? .” //All About Popular Issues//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/‌christian-ethics-and-cloning-faq.htm>. · “The Christian Position on Cloning.” //Come Reason//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gotquestions.org/‌cloning-Christian.html>. · “Cloning.” //MEDLINE//. MEDLINE, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/‌medlineplus/‌cloning.html>. · “Cloning.” //National Human Genome Research Institute//. National Human Genome Research Institute, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://www.genome.gov/‌25020028#al-15>. · “How Cloning Works.” //How Stuff Works//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/‌environmental/‌life/‌genetic/‌cloning5.htm>. · “Reproductive and therapeutic cloning.” //religioustolerance.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/‌cloning.htm>. · “WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES IN CLONING?” //University of Utah//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/‌content/‌tech/‌cloning/‌clissues/>. · “WHAT IS CLONING?” //University of Utah//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/‌content/‌tech/‌cloning/‌whatiscloning/>.

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