FREE ESSAY ON CLONING

CLONING

Cloning
Twenty-five years ago, scientists thought that cloning was virtually impossible. 
In the last five years, the science of cloning, has come to realization. What is a
clone?
A clone is a duplicate - much like a photocopy is a duplicate, or copy, of a document
(Kolate, 238). A good example of copies that occur in nature are identical twins, which
are duplicates of each other. On a daily basis, molecular geneticists and other
scientists use cloning techniques to replicate various genetic materials such as gene
segments and 
cells (Kolate, 238). Recently the cloning of a living life form was brought from the
realms of science fiction to reality with the cloning of a sheep named Dolly (Kolate
236). Imagine meeting an exact replica of somebody or yourself seven to ten years from
now (Kaku 6). They look alike, and even have the same genetic makeup. This is the new
world of cloning. As with every new science, there are those who believe in it, and those
who oppose it. So many questions arise. What if some one like Hitler had access to this
technology? Would people want two identical copies of a child or a relative? What are the
chances of people illegally obtaining blood samples of, for example, Albert Einstein,
Bill Clinton, or even Lee Harvey Oswald for sale on the black market? Is there a way we
can possibly outlaw and enforce cloning? Could this development actually be used for a
benefit, such as bringing back endangered or extinct animals? The instantaneous reaction
of the world has been mixed. However, the overall benefits appear to out weigh the other
factors. This new technological development can not be passed off. It has the potential
of enormous benefits to society. The new technology of cloning should be utilized because
it could bring back extinct organisms, help infertile couples to have children, and
potentially save many lives.
Cloning could bring back extinct animals (Kaku 227). Over millions of years, thousands of
different species have gone extinct. Most were due to natural selection, while several
others were due to human intervention. Approximately two-thirds of all the native bird
species (Kendall n/a) and one-fifth of the native plants (Kendall n/a) originally found
on the Hawaiian Islands have gone extinct recently. Predators, competitors, or diseases
introduced by humans from continental areas are responsible for many of the extinctions.
Also, many remaining species on other oceanic islands are threatened or endangered. A
benefit of cloning would be the cloning of "endangered species that have difficulty
reproducing in captivity" (Kaku 227). Many of the animal species, and numerous plant
species could be brought back to life with cloning. Even 
though there is currently no technique for bringing the plants back, with technology
advancing so quickly, we could have a solution in the near future. Ultimately, cloning
could have significant human applications.
Cloning could help a couple unable to have children because one of them was infertile. In
the case of an infertile father, scientists take an egg from the mother, remove its
nucleus, then take a cell from the father, remove its nucleus, and place the nucleus
inside the empty egg (Kolate 242). That cell acts as a reproductive cell. They then put
the egg in the mothers' womb to impregnate her. "Mark Sayer, an infertility expert at
Columbia Presbyterian Medial Center in New York, would like to take each cell from an
early human embryo and clone it, making identical twin embryos in the woman's uterus
immediately, and freeze any extras for future attempts at pregnancy" (Kolate 242). The
attempt would prove that the process of reprogramming a cell's DNA begins with clones
(Kolate 237).
In the field of medicine, cloning can be a very useful technique. "A major goal of
scientists working on cloning is to clone genes that direct the production of medically
significant uses in treating disease" (Robel n/a). Medical scientists would be able to
not only reproduce the genes, but would be able to transfer them and to study them
(Kolate 236). It would be possible to study organs of the human body to learn how they
could alter them to cause them to regenerate after injury. "Another possible medical use
for cloning is the development of pigs that have been modified with human genes so their
organs can be transplanted into humans" (Charles F01). "Other research applications of
cloning would involve genetically modifying adult cells to be cloned to create animal
models of human diseases to study the effects of drugs" (Charles F01). The ways of
reproducing genes and copying DNA could help in finding cures for certain diseases and
disorders. Scientists could take DNA from healthy cells and copy it, then inject it into
an unhealthy cell to cancel out the "bad" genes (Charles F01).
Cloning would also help parents that are facing the possible loss of a child due to
illness. "More palatable than the ego clone…is the medical clone, a baby created to
provide transplant material for the original" (Kluger 66). The idea of a medical clone,
or "a baby created to provide transplant material for the original child" has surfaced 
(Kluger 70). While the idea of "harvesting a one-of-a-kind organ, such as a heart from a
new child" resulting in creating a clone just to kill it for the organ is not advocated
(Kluger 70), most parents "are not against raising a clone, or identical child so some of
its bone marrow can be used to save the life of the first child" (Kluger 69). 
The idea that future clones could produce such medically important substances as Insulin,
interferon, and growth hormone is exciting to scientist (Robel n/a). "To begin with, the
most stunning, but least disputed possibility, is to consider the idea of using human
cloning to grow your own organs for transplant"(Kolate 234). A noted Harvard Medical
School professor, Stuart Orkin, testified before a presidential ethics commission in 1997
and predicted "that it might be possible to use the cloning breakthrough to enable
patients to grow their own bone marrow that would be a perfect match and ready when the
patient needed it" (Kolate 234). Another medical benefit of cloning could lead the way to
"creating genetically altered animal that act as living drug factories by producing
valuable pharmaceutical substances in their milk" (Small 3). Also, such genetically
altered animals could be used "as living organ factories because their organs would not
be rejected by the human immune system" (Small 3). In addition, medical scientist hope to
"use cloned, genetically engineered cows as donors for neutral cells that could be used
to treat nerve-damaging diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes" (Small 3). At Genzyme
Transgenics Corporatation, they are working on making "a heard of genetically engineered
cattle that will produce the human serum, albumin, a protein that is currently derived
from pooled human plasma, and is given to people who have suffered blood loss" (Small
4).
Because of the overwhelming positive implications, society must embrace this the idea of
cloning. The new technology of cloning should be used because it could resurrect extinct
animals, give infertile couples new hope, and provide medical science with a new tool
that could potentially save thousands of lives. With recent advances moving along at such
speed, cloning will become an integral part of our society.
Bibliography
Charles, Craig. "Near-Term Benefits of Cloning Likely To Be Medical." 
The Washington Post. 29 March 1997: Section 1F.
Kaku, Michio. Visions. New York: Anchor Books/Double Day, 1997.
Kendall, Peter. "Human Cloning Debate: Why Do It? Who'd Be Hurt? Should
It Be Legal?" Chicago Tribune. 3 March 1997: Section n/a.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "Will We Follow The Sheep?" Time 10 March 1997: 66-71.
Kolate, Gina. Clone. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1998.
Kotulak, Ronald. "First Mammal Is Cloned. Breakthrough Could Make It Possible To 
Duplicate Humans." Chicago Tribune. 23 February 1997: n/a.
Neikirk, William. "Senate Gets To Not Vote On Proposed Cloning Ban."
Washington Bureau. 12 February 1998: 6-7.
Robel, James. "Scientists Report Adult Animal Cloning." 
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia On CD/ROM. 1997 Edition. 1997.
Small, Art. "Two Cloned Calves Might Be Key To Living Drug, Organ Factories."
Chicago Tribune. 21 January 1998: n/a.