RWAP

Jackson Wolf

4/23/12

Language Arts

Cloning

A Science Research Paper

Has someone went and said “I just want to make another me, and send him to do my job” or “Have another me do my homework”. Those expressions are everywhere from television to today’s hardworking citizens. There is a solution though called Cloning, where you can replicate the same organism with the same genes and everything, basically a pair of Artificial Twins. Cloning is a difficult process of large proportions, but how does it work?

What is cloning? Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two! So if took two cows and clone them, they would be the exact same in every way. A cloning method, known as "somatic cell nuclear transfer" or simply "nuclear transfer," requires two kinds of cell.  One is a “somatic” cell, which is collected from the animal that is to be cloned (known as the "genetic donor").  

A somatic cell is any cell other than a sperm cell or egg cell, and contains the complete DNA, or genetic blueprint, of the animal it came from.  For cloning purposes, somatic cells are typically obtained by a “routine skin biopsy” performed by a veterinarian.The scientist stimulates the fused egg, which "activates" the egg and causes it to divide just as an egg would if it had been fertilized by a sperm cell in conventional reproduction.  The activated egg is then placed in a culture medium.

 As cellular division continues over the course of several days, a blast cyst (early-stage embryo)is created.  After about a week, an embryo transfer specialist moves the “blast cyst” to a recipient female (Also called a "Surrogate Mother") where it continues to develop.  After a full-term pregnancy, the “Surrogate Mother” gives birth to an animal that is essentially the identical twin of the genetic donor.

So Cloning, a difficult process, even for the smartest people can have trouble understanding the physics of Cloning. Will there be a time where human cloning can exist, and clone somebody, or is the Government going to keep illegalized what cannot be done yet? And now, those expressions can become a reality

Bibliography

Cloning. (2012, 4 19). Retrieved 4 16, 2012, from Lern. Genetics: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/

Cloning Fact Page. (2009, 5 11). Retrieved 4 18, 2012, from Human Genome Project Information: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml