Human cloning has become a more widely debated topic in the scientific field, medical field, and society. It started out as cloning animals, and now it is coming to the point where cloning may be used on humans in the near future. This raises concern for many people around the world who are totally against it. It also brings hope for those in the medical field who are searching for ways to treat and cure certain diseases in their patients. The major thing preventing the cloning of humans is the ethics behind it. Some say it is inhumane to be able to perform such a tedious process. Others say it could somehow benefit society if human cloning was made possible. There are both advantages and disadvantages to the situation that will be discussed
…show more content…
According to the University of Nebraska, gene cloning refers to when DNA is removed from an organism. Enzymes are then used to break the bonds between nucleotides and are snipped into gene size pieces. Plasmids are combined with the genes and transferred into living bacteria. The bacteria can be manipulated to create millions of copies of the same plasmid. Gene cloning is usually associated with gene modification which occurs when a genetic engineer cuts the gene and replaces some of it with new material. Reproductive cloning happens when a mature somatic cell is removed from an organism, and the DNA is transferred to an egg cell whose DNA has been removed. This is commonly referred to as somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT. Finally, the egg starts the reproductive process and attaches to the uterus of a female in the same species. This results in a whole organism with the same genetic makeup of the donator of the somatic cell (See Appendix B for a diagram of the process). The last type, therapeutic cloning, occurs when a cell is taken from an animal’s skin and is placed in the outer membrane of a donor egg cell. After being chemically induced, embryonic stem cells will be created. The stem cells can be used in discovering more about diseases and developing treatments for them (Bradford, …show more content…
Researchers have started using therapeutic cloning to create stem cells used for hair regrowth and treatments for things like burns and scars. The cells can be programmed to repair damage to tissues and cells in the human body. This instance shows one of the many reasons why so many scientists are experimenting with cloning. It could lead to the treatment and prevention of many diseases which will result in less deaths. In terms of reproductive cloning, sterile couples could finally have a chance at parenthood. It could also be a way to avoid passing on a bad gene that runs in the family (“Cloning,” 2017). The widespread cloning of animals and plants could also be very useful. There would be less extinction. More cattle would result in more food and dairy production. In fact, ”The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided in January 2008 that meat and milk from cloned animals, such as cattle, pigs and goats, are as safe as those from non-cloned animals” (“Cloning,” 2017). The production of lumber may increase due to the cloning of trees and other plants. Cloning could also bring back extinct species by extracting living DNA from the extinct species and injecting it into a living animal egg of a closely related species. A record of this being accomplished was done by a group of scientists at the Center of Food Technology and Research in Spain. These scientists brought back a bucardo, an extinct wild goat. The animal
According to the University of Nebraska, gene cloning refers to when DNA is removed from an organism. Enzymes are then used to break the bonds between nucleotides and are snipped into gene size pieces. Plasmids are combined with the genes and transferred into living bacteria. The bacteria can be manipulated to create millions of copies of the same plasmid. Gene cloning is usually associated with gene modification which occurs when a genetic engineer cuts the gene and replaces some of it with new material. Reproductive cloning happens when a mature somatic cell is removed from an organism, and the DNA is transferred to an egg cell whose DNA has been removed. This is commonly referred to as somatic cell nuclear transfer or SCNT. Finally, the egg starts the reproductive process and attaches to the uterus of a female in the same species. This results in a whole organism with the same genetic makeup of the donator of the somatic cell (See Appendix B for a diagram of the process). The last type, therapeutic cloning, occurs when a cell is taken from an animal’s skin and is placed in the outer membrane of a donor egg cell. After being chemically induced, embryonic stem cells will be created. The stem cells can be used in discovering more about diseases and developing treatments for them (Bradford, …show more content…
Researchers have started using therapeutic cloning to create stem cells used for hair regrowth and treatments for things like burns and scars. The cells can be programmed to repair damage to tissues and cells in the human body. This instance shows one of the many reasons why so many scientists are experimenting with cloning. It could lead to the treatment and prevention of many diseases which will result in less deaths. In terms of reproductive cloning, sterile couples could finally have a chance at parenthood. It could also be a way to avoid passing on a bad gene that runs in the family (“Cloning,” 2017). The widespread cloning of animals and plants could also be very useful. There would be less extinction. More cattle would result in more food and dairy production. In fact, ”The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided in January 2008 that meat and milk from cloned animals, such as cattle, pigs and goats, are as safe as those from non-cloned animals” (“Cloning,” 2017). The production of lumber may increase due to the cloning of trees and other plants. Cloning could also bring back extinct species by extracting living DNA from the extinct species and injecting it into a living animal egg of a closely related species. A record of this being accomplished was done by a group of scientists at the Center of Food Technology and Research in Spain. These scientists brought back a bucardo, an extinct wild goat. The animal