Raymond Ruan Yr 10 Science RED (Ms Roberts)

Cloning Dolly the Sheep

One of the most controversial issues in modern science today is subject of cloning.
Cloning in biology is the process in which biological matter whether it be genes, cells,
tissues or entire organisms are genetically copied resulting in identical duplicates.
Cloning can be classified into three different types of categories which include DNA
Cloning, Reproductive Cloning and Therapeutic Cloning. In 1996 the first successful
clone of a biological organism, Dolly the Sheep generated mixed reactions
internationally as on one side it was celebrated as a scientific breakthrough however
on the other hand there were protests and debates regarding the ethical
considerations of science and whether it has gone too far to the point that it can be
detrimental to human society.
DNA cloning or molecular cloning refers to the process in which DNA fragments of
interest are transferred from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such
as a bacterial plasmid. In other words, a small piece of the DNA strand is removed
and united with a plasmid which reproduces itself to create multiple copies of the
same DNA code. This plasmid is also known as a vector. This copied DNA can then be
propagated into a foreign host cell. After it is introduced into a suitable host cell, the
recombinant vector can then be reproduced along with the host cell.
Reproductive Cloning is a technology used to generate an animal that has the same
nuclear DNA as another currently or previously existing animal. Human cloning would
fall into this category. Dolly the sheep is the first mammal to be created by
reproductive cloning technology. In a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer
(SCNT), the DNA information from the nucleus of a donor adult cell is copied into a
cell with its nucleus removed. Chemicals or electric currents are used to stimulate
cell division. Once the cells start dividing and the embryo reaches a suitable stage, it
is planted into the uterus of a female host where it develops until birth.
Therapeutic cloning is very similar to reproductive cloning, except that the embryos
are not allowed to fully develop. The purpose of therapeutic cloning is to extract the
stem cells from the embryos and study them. When the egg has been cloned and
divided for 5 days, the stem cells are extracted from it. The embryos are destroyed
due to the extraction process, which raises ethical concerns.


Raymond Ruan Yr 10 Science RED (Ms Roberts)
Dolly the Sheep was cloned by Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and other colleagues at
the Roslin Institute and the biotechnology company PPL Therapeutics near Edinburgh
in Scotland. She was born on 5
th
July 1996 and lived until the age of six, at which
point she died from a progressive lung disease. On 14
th
February 2003, Dolly was
euthanized to shorten her suffering. The cell used as the donor for the cloning of
Dolly was taken from a mammary gland, and the production of a healthy clone
therefore proved that a cell taken from a specific part of the body could recreate a
whole individual.
The cloning of Dolly the sheep raised moral dilemmas amid fears that the technique
could be used to clone humans. This issue raised controversial concerns at the time
of the conception of Dolly that even Bill Clinton the US President at the time set up a
special task force to investigate cloning in order to examine the legal and ethical
implications. Other respected members of the community such as doctors and
religious leaders highlighted their concerns regarding the ethical and moral
considerations.
The controversy of cloning and the potential for cloning humans will always be a
scientific topic that is widely debated and will likely never be resolved so long as
there is the technology available that enables scientist to do so. It is my opinion that
laws should be created to prevent the possibility of cloning humans. The cloning of
humans is largely artificial and one would argue that since human life is not
conceived through natural forms it would go against all the unique characteristic and
features that define us as human beings.