Though cloning is not where it was predicted to be Essays - Biology

Though cloning is not where it was predicted to be today by people in the 1960's it is still very advanced with cloning being used by scientists often in experiments. The term cloning refers to many different processes that are used to create genetically identical copies of a biological being. The copied material, which has the exact same genetic makeup as the original, is called a clone. The term cloning describes a number of different processes that can be used to produce genetically identical copies of a biological entity. The copied material, which has the same genetic makeup as the original, is referred to as a clone. Though most do not know this, cloning can occur naturally within nature in a process known as asexual reproduction, in which an organism makes a copy of itself using only one cell. This process occurs in some plants and single celled organisms. Another example of non-artificial cloning is identical twins where the fertilized egg of a human or other mammal splits creating two or more embryos with near identical DNA. The twins have nearly the same genetic makeup as each other, but differ from the parents in that regard. There are three types of artificial cloning that includes gene cloning, reproductive cloning, and therapeutic cloning. Gene cloning consists of producing copies of genes or segments of DNA. Reproductive cloning produces identical copies of whole animals. Therapeutic cloning consists of producing embryonic stem cells used in experiments to create tissues for replacing injured or diseased tissues. Gene cloning has a very different process from reproductive and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive and therapeutic cloning essentially use the same process but are used for different purposes. Scientists use cloning methods often to create identical copies of genes that they wish to observe and study for experiments and research. The process of cloning consists of inserting a gene from one organism, which is referred to as foreign DNA, into the genetic material of a carrier that is called a vector. The various examples of a vector include bacteria, viruses or plasmids which are small circles of DNA carried by bacteria, and yeast cells. When the gene is inserted the vector is promptly placed in laboratory conditions where it multiplies thus resulting in an identical gene being copied numerous times. Reproductive cloning is the type used in the cloning of animal such as sheep and calves. In the process of Reproductive cloning, Scientists remove a fully matured somatic cell from whichever animal they wish to copy. The DNA of the donor animal's somatic cell is transferred into an egg cell, or oocyte that has its own DNA-containing nucleus taken out. In 1979 the first genetically identical mouse was produced through the splitting mouse embryos in a test tube and then after that implanting the resulting embryo into a female mouse. Shortly after this successful cloning, the cloning of other animals such as calves began. In 1996 the first cloning of mammal from the somatic cell of an a dult occurred. This marvel ended up taking Scottish scientists 276 tries ending with a lamb named Dolly that was produced using the udder cells of a six year old lamb. Two years later Japanese scientists were able to produce eight calves using the genes from just one cow, but unfortunately only four of the eight managed to survive. Though most think that animal clones always look identical to their gene donor, but it is actually not true. Animal clones do not always look exactly the same, though they do share the same genetic material environment plays a very large role in how it turns out. The potential application of this cloning is that scientists could engineer copies of animals that could benefit medicine and agriculture. Therapeutic cloning consists of the creation of a cloned embryo that make a stem cell with the same DNA as the donor. The use of this method of cloning is the understanding diseases and new treatments for them. At this time there is no successful cases of human embryo cloning using this method. The potential use for therapeutic cloning is the ability to copy any cell within an organism's body to grow tissues. No one can really tell