Cloning is Making an Identical Copy of Someone

Have you ever thought about cloning? Cloning is making an identical copy of someone, or somethings DNA. Cloning experiments have failed and succeeded. There is a ton of history behind cloning, and there’s also very important benefits and arguments about cloning. Beside of all the good and the advantages that we have that is associated with cloning, there is also a lot of risks and drawbacks that happen that aren’t safe, or healthy for the experimental subjects. Cloning is something that has happening for hundreds and thousands of years, and we are continuing to experiment with it to this day.

Genetic studies could be traced all the way back to the 5000 BC, but actual cloning first began in the early 1900’s. One of the first studies that was experimented was Hans Spemann. Spemann was famously known has a German scientist that experimented on salamanders. According to the National Science Technology Association, “Hans Spemann divides a salamander embryo in two and shows early embryo cell retail all the genetic information necessary to create a new organism” (“Cloning’s Historical Timeline” 1). On February 27, 1997 on the cover of a famously known magazine they report that the first animal to be cloned from an adult cell was Dolly the sheep (Mckinnell and Di Berardino). They have experimented on Frogs, Monkeys, and even more animals that have been a success.

Cloning can help cancer cells, and clot the genome. “…molecular environment of the oocyte and that of the subsequent developing embryo could reverse the malignant phenotype” (Mckinnell and Di Berardino). Scientist was a technique called experimental therapy on a 52-year-old patient that was diagnosed with skin cancer. They cloned his healthy immune cells and injected him with his own cells (Sample). This is a ground-breaking experiment that could help possibly help many people in the future. Cloning helps the people that have been of the transplant list for months and years, that really need it. Cloning could, “…clone your vital organs in order to ensure that you always have a healthy back up just in case” (“10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning”). Cloning could also assist you to have the baby of you dream. According to one of my sources “Cloning could allow future parents to theoretically choose the traits of their baby (“10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning”).

Cloning has benefits that can affect the world is so many different ways, but it also has risks and disadvantages. This includes things like development of new diseases. “By bringing in an entirely new group of people, that we have no experience or research on…” (10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning”). And this also states that, “Among these are new diseases that we have no treatments for, and could possibly even be deadly” (“10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning”). There is already a divide within the people and races in the world and cloning will just further the divide and make it a lot worse than what it is now. This might be to other people that they are not “fully human” (“10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning”). In the late 1900’s and early 2000’s Dr. Tanja Dominko was thinking to clone monkeys. After almost 3 years she didn’t develop anything but just a placenta. She considers this as her “Gallery of Horrors” (Kolata). These could be dangerous and many people may not agree on these techniques.

Cloning could develop new and improved things. The study of cloning has slowed down since Dolly the sheep but it still has years and years of experience. Cloning could include cures to cancer, you could create a baby that you always wanted, and it could help friends, family members, and even people you might not know get organs they have been waiting years, or even months for. There is always risks with great things, risks with cloning could even cause death, or even divide between individuals. In the future, cloning could help you, and your peers with a lot of problems and could provide a solution.

Works Cited

1. “Cloning’s Historical Timeline.” National Science Teaching Association. https://www.nsta.org/images/news/legacy/scope/0603/cloningtimeline.pdf. 02 March 2020.
2. Kolata, Gina. “In Cloning, Failure Far Exceeds Success.” The New York Times. 11 December 2001. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/11/science/in-cloning-failure-far-exceeds-success.html. 03 March 2020.
3. McKinnell, Robert G., and Marie A. Di Berardino. “The Biology of Cloning: History and Rationale.” BioScience, Volume 49, Issue 11, November 1999, Pages 875–885, https://doi.org/10.2307/1313647, 02 March 2020.
4. Sample, Ian. “Cloned Immune Cells Cleared Patients Cancer” The Guardian. 18 June 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jun/19/cancer.science. 03 March 2020.
5. “10 Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloning.” FLOW Phycology. https://flowpsychology.com/10-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-cloning/. 03 March 2020.

Cite this page