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Human Cloning
The debate over human cloning generally assumes it's possible to safely clone a completely normal human being, and ignores the multitude of problems that routinely plague the process of cloning animals. The current definition of 'successful cloning' is the generation of a viable adult organism (Gurdon and Melton, 1811), a definition used rather loosely given the prevalence of defects that occur. As discussed below, this definition has been traditionally applied to the cloning of domesticated animals and is not adequate for defining success should human cloning ever be attempted.
Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer
The number of mammals that have been successfully cloned from somatic cells has increased steadily since the first sheep, Dolly, was cloned in 1996 (reviewed by Campbell et al., 257). These include mouse, rat, cow, goat, pig, rabbit, cat, dog, mule, horse, and deer. The process of cloning involves the transfer of a unit of complete genetic material (somatic...
The intended result is the creation of a genetically identical organism. The reason this is possible is because an ovum contains enzymes that rapidly and efficiently 'reprogram' the inserted genetic material to a more immature, stem cell-like state. The reprogramming is necessary before the ovum is capable of producing all the different types of cells required to make a viable adult mammal from a single cell. What most laypeople fail to realize, is that this process is immensely complex and prone to failure on a number of levels because the reprogramming tends to be non-specific and incomplete (Gurdon and Melton, 1812).
The average success rate of generating a single adult animal from somatic cell nuclear transfers is about 1-2% (Gurdon and Melton, 1811). In other words, an average of 50 to 100 eggs would have to be expended before a successful cloning event…
Campbell, Keith H.S., Alberio, Ramiro., Choi, Inchul., Fisher, Pat., Kelly, Richard D.W., Lee, Joon-Hee, Maalouf, W. "Cloning: Eight years after Dolly." Reproduction in Domestic Animals 40.4 (2005): 256-268. Web.
Gurdon, John. B. And Melton, Doug A. "Nuclear reprogramming in cells." Science 322.5909 (2008): 1811-1815. Web.
Palmieri, Chiara., Loi, Pasqualino., Ptak, Grazyna., Salda, Leanardo Della. "Review paper: A review of the pathology of abnormal placentae of somatic cell nuclear transfer clone pregnancies in cattle, sheep, and mice." Veterinary Pathology 45.6 (2008): 865-880. Web.
Cloning has become a very contentious subject. The issue of cloning has moved from the scientific arena into the cultural, religious and ethical centers of debate, for good reasons. The scientific implications of cloning affects a wide range of social and ethical concerns. The theory of cloning questions many essential areas of ethical and philosophical concern about what human life is and raises the question whether we have the right
"Animals that are experiencing dwindling numbers could be cloned to prevent their extinction. Taiwanese scientists claimed to have made five clones of an endangered pig to save this species" (Anonymous). While some say man should not play God there are others like Edmund Erde who disagree and say that "playing God" is a phrase that is "muddle-headed" and "nonsensical" and should be deserted (Edmund Erde, p.594). For those who
Cloning The debate about human cloning was carried out within the field of science fiction and fantasy, until recently. With the victorious cloning of the sheep Dolly in 1997, it became obvious that earlier or later, scientists might be able to clone human beings too. There is both encouragement and disagreement for this likelihood. Though cloning has been explained by newspapers and magazines as an exhilarating step onward that allows genetic
Human Cloning The subject of human cloning was once the stuff of science fiction novels and television programs. As technology and science improves, the creation of clones has become, potentially, a real likelihood in the impending future. For the follow, the definition of human cloning is that which has been designated by the American Medical Association: The term "cloning" will refer to the production of genetically identical organisms via somatic cell nuclear
(Weiler, 1998) Weiler states that in relation to the offspring the following must be examined closely: 1) a single parent (genetically) of the offspring which is at the same time a genetic sibling. This issue parallels the non-zygotic fertilization; 2) Multiple twinship. Cloning a number of brothers or sisters from the same cell is similar to the case of twins only more extreme due to the intervention occurring in the process of
Human Cloning: The Ethical Debate Human cloning is best described as "the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing human or growing cloned tissue from that individual" (Wikipedia, 2004). The term usually refers to artificial human cloning; human clones in the form of identical twins are typical and commonplace, with their cloning occurring during the natural process of reproduction. "human clone" is a scientific replication of another person (Jones, 1998).