Essay, Research Paper: Clone

Paul Smith February 12, 1997 AP Biology Mr. Cantor Periods 3B-4 CLONING Cloning is the production of a group of genetically identical cells or organisms, all descended from a single individual. The members of a clone have the same characteristics, except where mutation and environmentally caused developmental variation have occurred. Cloning can occur naturally, but cloning can also be the result of biotechnology - the harnessing of microbes and other cells to produce useful materials and facilitate industrial processes - or more specifically genetic engineering - a sophisticated technique through which genes can be moved from one type of cell to another, altering a cell s properties accordingly. In the early 1970s Herbert Boyer (University of California Health Science Center in San Francisco) and Stanley Cohen (Stanford University) found that it was possible to insert into bacteria genes they had removed from other bacteria. Once inside the bacteria, the transported gene divided as the bacteria divided, which produced several clone cells each containing exact copies of the gene. This is called gene cloning. Laboratory experiments have resulted in the successful IN VITRO FERTILIZATION of human eggs that led in 1993 to the cloning of human embryos by dividing such fertilized eggs at a very early stage of development. This technique, which does not produce a clone but a twin, had already been used successfully with sheep and other animals. Abnormal embryos were used in the human experiment and were later discarded. The experiment caused an outcry from ethicists, religious leaders, and others, most of whom called for banning such procedures or establishing guidelines for them. Some algae reproduce sexually and asexually. Those individuals formed by asexual reproduction constitute a clone. In the club mosses and some higher plants, a runner , or stem, grows horizontally along the surface of the soil and at intervals produces roots and upright stalks. When the sections of stem between stalks disintegrate, the separated individuals constitute a clone. The growth of a tumor in the body is, in effect, the formation of a clone of malignant cells. Another example of clone formation is the proliferation of a single B lymphocyte (a cell type of the immune system), producing identical specific monoclonal antibodies, against a particular antigen. There are many ethical questions which arise from this kind of research. Many feel that this is wrong because it is not showing respect for the uniqueness of life. But at the same time other s argue that it is taking care of the future of the planet. I personally feel that the negatives out weigh the positives. Although, I must admit that being Catholic I do have a biased opinion. One concern is that transgenic animals carry pathogens of their own that may be transferred to humans with unknown consequences. The 1993 cloning of nonviable human embryos has raised considerable ethical questions about the use of this technology. The regulatory agencies must establish ground rules for the use of these technologies and products.