Cloning
Cloning is the practice of making a genetically identical copy of an organism. Sometimes this happens naturally, as in cell mitosis, sometimes it is artificial.
It is a standard practice in horticulture (tree, shrub, and plant reproduction), due to the fact that many plants utilize this method of reproduction naturally. Branches or stems that lay on the ground can grow roots, and can be separated from the "parent" intentionally or accidentally and become new "individuals" that are genetically identical to their parent. Other plants or trees can sprout what may become new "individuals" from their root systems. Also many plants can be split into several individuals mechanically.
However, most people think of cloning as meaning making an exact copy of a (sexually-reproducing only) critter, especially a mammal, and really especially, because it's such an interesting idea, a person.
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[edit] Human cloning
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For those of you in the mood, RationalWiki has a fun article about Human cloning. |
[edit] Cloning organs
By cloning organs, the organ transplants would become far easier, as rejection would be less likely. In addition, the kidney black market would go out of business. [1] Cloning organs has been semi-successful in cows. [2]
[edit] Problems with full reproductive cloning
Human cloning, in reality, is rarely as it is portrayed in science fiction (where the clonee finds that their clone is a full adult version of themselves, including personality) because:
- The science and technology to rapidly age a person to maturity is much, much further off and less practical than it is portrayed.
- The cloning of primates seems to be particularly difficult.[3]
- The success rate of any cloning procedure ranges from 0.1 percent to 3 percent which is equivalent to 970 to 999 failures in 1000 tries.[4] It would be difficult to recruit the necessary 1,000 surrogate mothers necessary for an experiment.
- Of the successful clones which are brought to term, many seem to have some form of abnormality.
Consequently, at the present time, human cloning would be unethical, wasteful of resources, and fairly pointless.
[edit] Cloning in the Hindu religious epic the Mahabarata?
B G Matapurkar, a surgeon with the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi has stated the 100 Kauravas he says were created from an embryo divided into 100 "were products of a technology that modern science has not even developed yet". [5] It's worth mentioning they are the bad guys according to most Vaishnavites.
[edit] See also
- Pyrenean Ibex - an attempt to recreate an extinct species by cloning.
- Thylacine - more of the same