Peas in a Pod: The Cloning Option

Part 1: Overview

Cloning, as a form of reproduction, has been discussed by scientists since at least as far back as the 1930s and in recent years, the focus on human cloning has intensified dramatically.

Bring in the Clones

There are three basic types of cloning we generally read about:

Hybrid cloning:
Mix cow plus a little human DNA to produce milk with human proteins... or mix plant with antigens to produce edible vaccines. Once you have the hybrid you want, you clone it to produce a herd of cows, garden of plants, etc.

Therapeutic cloning:
Cloning tissue which, literally, has the potential to cure all disease known to man. Stem cell research is in this category. Controversy in this area has revolved around the creation of human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting the stem cells, after which the embryos are destroyed. In the United States, embryos remaining unused in fertility clinics are used for stem cell research.

Reproductive cloning:
This is the area of human cloning touted alternatively as a way to:
'cure' infertility
get back at your parents
be a better parent
make a million dollars
... and more...
Source: Human Cloning Foundation
For the purposes of this article, all further cloning references will be to reproductive cloning unless otherwise specified.Mix cow plus a little human DNA to produce milk with human proteins... or mix plant with antigens to produce edible vaccines. Once you have the hybrid you want, you clone it to produce a herd of cows, garden of plants, etc. Cloning tissue which, literally, has the potential to cure all disease known to man. Stem cell research is in this category. Controversy in this area has revolved around the creation of human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting the stem cells, after which the embryos are destroyed. In the United States, embryos remaining unused in fertility clinics are used for stem cell research. This is the area of human cloning touted alternatively as a way to: For the purposes of this article, all further cloning references will be to unless otherwise specified.Mix cow plus a little human DNA to produce milk with human proteins... or mix plant with antigens to produce edible vaccines. Once you have the hybrid you want, you clone it to produce a herd of cows, garden of plants, etc. Cloning tissue which, literally, has the potential to cure all disease known to man. Stem cell research is in this category. Controversy in this area has revolved around the creation of human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting the stem cells, after which the embryos are destroyed. In the United States, embryos remaining unused in fertility clinics are used for stem cell research. This is the area of human cloning touted alternatively as a way to: For the purposes of this article, all further cloning references will be to unless otherwise specified.Mix cow plus a little human DNA to produce milk with human proteins... or mix plant with antigens to produce edible vaccines. Once you have the hybrid you want, you clone it to produce a herd of cows, garden of plants, etc. Cloning tissue which, literally, has the potential to cure all disease known to man. Stem cell research is in this category. Controversy in this area has revolved around the creation of human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting the stem cells, after which the embryos are destroyed. In the United States, embryos remaining unused in fertility clinics are used for stem cell research. This is the area of human cloning touted alternatively as a way to: For the purposes of this article, all further cloning references will be to unless otherwise specified.

How It Works: Three Women and a Baby

Biologist Regina Bailey writes:

Pat is to be cloned. Cells from her body are to be removed, placed in culture, and deprived of nutrients. For reasons not quite understood, the total genetic code of the cells becomes active. The nucleus of a cell is then removed.

Nicole provides an egg whose nucleus has also been removed. The nucleus from Pat's cell is then inserted into the egg cell. An electric shock provides stimulus for the egg to start dividing.

Pam, the "surrogate," then carries the developing embryo. Once born, the baby would be an exact genetic duplicate of Pat.

Which begs the question...

Credits: Research: Angela Waner

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