Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Negative Effects of Animal Cloning
A method used to produce multiple copies of a certain animal is referred to as animal cloning. The most frequently and latest method of cloning is called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. In this method, the nucleus is removed from one animal and replaced with a nucleus from the animal to be cloned Panno, 2009.
In most cases, the donor has to be an animal which has desirable traits. The cell will develop into an embryo that will be implanted into the surrogate mother. The born animal will have the same DNA as that of the donor animal, which will ensure that it will also have the same desirable traits.
Less biodiversity
Due to cloning and using of animals with the desirable traits, there is a likelihood that the animals cloned will all have the same DNA which will result in no biodiversity. This will mean that in case one animal is affected by a certain disease, there is a high chance that all the other cloned animals will be infected too. There are other far reaching consequences to this like a whole population of animals can be wiped out because of a particular disease. This will affect the whole food chain for other animals as well.
The lack of diversity in animals would lead to the weakening of the animals' ability for adaptation. Since cloning will use the DNA of certain animals, the resultant clones would not be able to adapt to environmental changes. Without diversity, the population of animals will not manage to adapt in order for its survival. As cloned animals will mostly have the same gene pool, there will not be any variable traits that would allow the cloned animals to adapt. Genetic diversity allows a species to evolve. Cloned animals will have less genetic variations and...
Majority of research conducted has indicated that cloned animals mostly live for half the expected life span of normal animals Gregory & Grandin, 2007.
This means that if cloning is adapted fully, there is a likelihood that some animals will become extinct much faster, or there will be need for constant cloning to ensure that no species is wiped out completely. The best example would be of Dolly, the first ever successful sheep cloning, lived for only 6 years, which is half the average age for a sheep.
The average birth rates are also very low for clones, for instance Dolly was the only clone born out of 277 embryos. This means that cloning is very inefficient. Even with successful cloning the animals will only live for half the expected life span. Cloning makes use of adult chromosomes, which means that the cloned animal would have the genetic of a mature and aging animal. This is another reason why the clones have a shorter life expectancy. The cloned animal would have a normal appearance, but it has inherited some abnormalities from its donor.
Adverse health
Cloned animals may look normal for days, weeks, or even months after birth, but there are some other effects that will affect the cloned animals. Research has shown that though clones may seem normal, there is a high likelihood that the clones will develop some defects later on in life. In a study conducted by Japanese scientists indicates that out of the twelve…
References
Gregory, N.G., & Grandin, T. (2007). Animal Welfare and Meat Production. Oxfordshire OX10 8DE: CABI.
Panno, J. (2009). Animal Cloning: The Science of Nuclear Transfer. New York, NY 10001: Facts On File, Incorporated.
Rollin, B.E. (2006). Science and Ethics. Cambridge CB2 8BS: Cambridge University Press.
"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 is among the feats in science that many of us, as part of our childish character, ideas, and imaginations, have only visualized before. We used to say in our mind, "what would happen if we create someone who is an exact duplicate of ourselves?" Again we say, "how convenient it would be to have that someone do the things we don't want to do." Or, "have that someone face the
Mammals Cloning to Preserve the Endangered Giant Panda Among animals, mammals account for more than 15,000 species of vertebrate animals that have the ability to self-regulate their body temperature, have hair, and, in the females, produce milk. In the study of mammalogy, the branch of science that deals with mammals, there has been a growing concern at the rate of mammalian species nearing extinction. Thus, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was
Human Cloning Should Be Illegal? Human cloning definitely brings negative effects to our society on value of life, economics natural resources and a multitude of other factors. Therefore, government should not legalize human cloning. The birth of a cloned sheep, known as Dolly has generated a great sensation around the world, ever since March 1997. Irrespective of the fact that it was not the first time that the experimentation for the
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
Christian Biotechnology: Not a Contradiction in Terms Presented with the idea of "Bioethics" most people in the scientific community today immediately get the impression of repressive, Luddite forces wishing to stifle research and advancement in the name of morality and God. Unfortunately, this stereotype too often holds true. If one looks over the many independent sites on the Internet regarding bioethics, reads popular magazines and publications, or browses library shelves for