Cloning Through the Ages? |
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| Introduction Genetic Engineering In the Movies Cloning Through the Ages?! |
Daedalus & Icarus: Are We Flying Too High? Have you heard this Greek myth before? Daedalus, a great inventor and architect, designed an intricate labyrinth for the King of the Greek Island of Crete. The king did not want anyone to know how to get out of his labyrinth, so when it was finished Daedalus and his workshop were moved into the heart of the labyrinth. Daedalus’s son, Icarus, loved his father dearly and chose to live with him in the labyrinth. After a while Icarus began to plot an escape from the maze. He and his father made wings of bird feathers and wax, and used these to escape from the island. Daedalus, who was both wiser and more experienced than Icarus, warned his son not to fly too low or too high. By flying too low the wings would become wet from the ocean, and this heaviness would cause him to sink into the ocean. By flying too high the heat of the sun would melt the wax of the wings, and this would cause him to fall into the ocean and drown. (We now know that flying too high would cause Icarus to freeze instead, but the effect is basically the same.) After a while Daedalus become tired, and seeing that his son was following his warnings, he nodded off to sleep as he flew along. A moment later Icarus saw a swan fly high into the sky and decided to follow it. He flew higher and higher even after he felt sweat on his back. He shortly discovered that it was not sweat he was feeling, it was instead the wax of his wings, melted from the heat. Daedalus woke up to see Icarus, now wingless, as he dropped out of the sky, fell into the sea, and disappeared. Daedalus cursed himself for not being more careful, but by then it was too late. So what does this all mean? Think of it this way: Daedalus borrowed the ability to fly from birds and made it possible for humans. Likewise, many thinkers today bekieve that the scientists at the Roslin Institute have simulated the powers of creation and made them available to humans. Remember, Daedalus was very careful when he flew: he stayed on the straight, middle path, knowing that there would be horrible consequences if he strayed from it. However, his son Icarus was not so careful. He saw these wings as a new freedom, a toy that allowed him to explore the endless sky. Many so-called human cloning labs have sprung up since the cloning of Dolly. Like Icarus, they see cloning as a possibility to explore new horizons. But in their quest to profit from cloning will they ignore the moral and ethical implications? In the myth, Icarus followed his father’s directions until Daedalus, believing his son was trustworthy, fell asleep. Icarus then strayed from the safe path and flew high into the sky, having the time of his life until he discovered that this exploration would be his doom. How closely will we have to watch these cloning labs? Is it the responsibility of Dr. Wilmut and the Roslin Institute, as they were the ones who made cloning a reality? Even if it is, will they inevitably become tired like Daedalus did, and become more lax in the supervision of these companies. Then what will happen?
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