Overview of Cloning

Clones are referred to a cell, cell product, or an organism that is genetically identical to the unit of individual from which it was derived. A clone happens naturally, such as the identical twins which are just one of many examples. Clones are organisms that are exact genetic copies and have each single bit of their DNA as identical. Human cloning is possibly one of the most heated and relevant ethical debates of our time. Cloning is the process of taking genetic material from one organism, and creating an identical copy of it by growing it artificially.

The entire world would be changed if we began to clone humans, in some ways for the better, but in others it would be much worse. When talking about human lives, lines must be drawn, but where? In order to form a valid and educated opinion on human cloning it is very important to understand the argument from both sides. There are three different types of artificial cloning: Gene Cloning, Reproductive Cloning and Therapeutic Cloning.

·         Gene cloning produces copies of genes or segments of DNA.

·         Reproductive cloning produces copies of whole animals.

·    Therapeutic cloning produces embryonic stem cells for experiments aimed at creating tissues to replace injured or diseased tissues.

There are two ways to make an exact genetic copy of an organism in a lab:

1. Artificial Embryo Twinning

Artificial embryo twinning mimics the natural process that creates identical twins. In nature, twins form very early in development when the embryo splits in two. Twinning happens in the first days after egg and sperm join, while the embryo is made of just a small number of unspecialized cells. Each half of the embryo continues dividing on its own, ultimately developing into separate, complete individuals. Since they developed from the same fertilized egg, the resulting individuals are genetically identical.

2. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), also called nuclear transfer, uses Somatic cell, which is any cell in the body other than sperm and egg, the two types of reproductive cells. Reproductive cells are also called germ cells. In mammals, every somatic cell has two complete sets of chromosomes, whereas the germ cells have only one complete set. SCNT also uses the Nuclear, which is a compartment that holds the cell's DNA. The DNA is divided into packages called chromosomes, and it contains all the information needed to form an organism. It is small differences in our DNA that make each of us unique.

AnilaRani, a professor in biotechnology discusses the concept of clone and its various advantages. She has provided assistance to various patients, couples, and students about various technologies that help them in their particular cause. Some of the advantages of human cloning are discussed in the following points:

·         Provide Biological Children to Infertile Couples: Couples who are not able to naturally conceive a child would be able to clone themselves in order to have a biological child. This would also open the possibility for gay or lesbian couples to have a child that contains both parents DNA and genes

.

·      Boon for Medical Advancement: Once the process of cloning humans is perfected and becomes a common practice, many other worlds of medical research would be expanded. This would result in improved medicines and even possibly cures for terminal and deadly diseases.

·      Helps to Compensate a Loss: Parents who have lost a child could clone them and have their child back. This would also go for someone who lost a spouse or other family member. This breaches into the more controversial side of human cloning, but is an advantage none the less.

·   Facilitates Organ Harvesting: Anyone who is in need of an organ transplant is placed on an excruciatingly long donor list. Many of these people pass on from their illness before ever receiving a transplant. With human cloning, organs could be cloned from the person’s tissue and used as a transplant.

·       Promotes Elimination of Birth Defects: Any severe birth defect that is detected in the womb could be reversed using human cloning. They would simply take the tissue of the child and create a clone. After they have done this they could manipulate the embryos genes to remove the birth defect and give them a better possibility of living a long and fulfilling life.

·      Provides Prolonged Life: If a person is aging, they could have their young cell cloned in order to preserve their youth. This would be done with the technology of human cloning, and could prolong the average life span of a human being dramatically.

·     Bring Back Great Minds: Legendary, genius, and influential people could be brought back using human cloning. This means that we could possibly create a dozen Einstein’s or Abraham Lincolns to come and help solve world problems.