Organ ism

Cloning in Pop Culture

• Stargate Atlantis • Godsend
• Jurassic Park • Invasion of the Body
• The Island Snatchers
• Dexter’s Lab • Blade Runner
• Star Wars • The Stepford Wives
• Star Trek • Sleeper
• Austin Powers • Multiplicity
• Alien • The Adventures of Pluto
• Twins Nash
• The Fifth Element
• The 6th Day
 What is cloning?
In nature…
• The process of producing populations
of genetically-identical individuals
• Usually involved in asexual
reproduction:
– Bacteria
– Plants
– Insects
 What is cloning?
In biotechnology…
• The process used to create copies of
DNA fragments (molecular cloning),
cells (cell cloning), or organisms
Huma n Cl oni ng
 Present Day
• Any biological experimentation on
humans are illegal unless it’s tests
that people volunteer for
– Ethical reasons
– Religion reasons
• Human cloning at the moment is to the
extent of natural-born twins.
 A few years ago…
• Five human embryo cells were created
for the purpose of cloning
• After the process was completed, the
scientists decided to destroy them,
after much controversy over human
clones and their rights
• They destroyed all five embryos and
all research materials involved in
their creation.
 Discussed In Public
• March 9, 2001
• Severino Antinori –
Italian fertility
specialist
• Spoke at a conference on
human cloning
• Has plans to clone humans
• However, Italian medical
authorities said that he
risked his right to
practice cloning in Italy
if he decides to go
through with it
Anim al Cl oni ng
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Meet the Clones
Mak in g A dul t
Co pi es
 What do you mean?
• Making copies of already-existing
adults – accelerating the growth of
the copies so that they catch up in
age with the original
• No natural aging or growth – just
accelerated growth
Is this even possible?
Yes – but what’s the catch?
• Shortened telomeres
– Telomeres determine biological aging
– Subject would become prone to
cardiovascular diseases
• Degenerating of DNA
– Unwinding of DNA helix
– Results in breakdown of cells and organs
 Plus, we don’t have the
technology possible to make
it happen.
 If you were a clone…
• You would die at a younger age than
your specie’s average age of death
• Sooner or later, you would develop
some kind of fatal disease – if you
didn’t die at a young age
• You would still be able to reproduce
– With humans – technically no, since the
age we reach sexual maturity at is quite
“old”
• We would die first
Saving the Animals, one
clone at a time.
 Huh?
• Cloning is now being used in many
ways
– Commercial
– Research
– Food production
• And now – they are trying to clone
endangered animals and are trying to
bring back extinct animals
Saving the Animals
Saving the Animals
 Interesting facts about
Clones
• After years of debate, F.D.A. has
declared that food (meat) produced by
cloned animals and their progeny are
safe to eat.
• One live clone = a hundred failed
attempts