When you think of cloning you probably think of a mad scientist in his lab doing experiments. Well, you got two parts right! Yes, scientists would probably be doing this and, most likely, it would be in a lab. Cloning is taking DNA and almost copying it. It is very hard to explain but I will try to make it easier. Cloning is called cloning because in the steps, the scientist clones or copies the organisms and the organism that results is all from a single individual. Scientists have not yet done this procedure to humans, but they have done it to animals.

History

Mankind has been engaging in breeding for many years.  Some people and dates are important to the development of this technology.  Back in 1865, Gregor Mendel discovered the basic laws of genetics. This led to further experimentation by Thomas Morgan in 1908, who showed how mutations occurred in fruit flies. In 1927, Hermann Muller discovered that x-rays could change or destroy genes. In 1944, Avery, Mcleo and McCarty discovered that genetic information is written in DNA. By 1953, James Watson duplicated genetic information in DNA. Later in 1990, he initiated the Human Genome Project, with the idea of cloning human genes. It was in the 1950's that scientists first used a cloning procedure on frogs and salamanders.

Cloning is a form of asexual reproduction which involves creating genetically identical genes/cells, plants or animals.The procedure of cloning is done by taking a gene from the animal or human and then putting that gene in another animals  or human organism. Scientists found out that cloning can also make identical twins by using a method called embryo splitting. In this method you must take out the embryo from a sheep or mouse and then split it. Afterwards you must take each embryo and place it in the udder of the animal. That may seem easy, but cloning is a very complicated procedure. T.A. Brown, a scientist, states there are five basic steps to cloning:

1. A piece of DNA that contains the gene to be cloned is put into a DNA molecule called a vector to produce a recombined DNA molecule.

2. The vector transports the gene to the host cell.

3. In the host cell, the vector multiples and makes many identical copies of itself and also of the gene.

4. When the host divides, copies of the recombined DNA molecules and the gene are now said to be cloned.

5. After many cell divisions, a clone of host cells are produced. Each cell has at least one copy of the recombined DNA, and the genes are cloned.

This transfer technique, or embryo twinning, is the basis of this process and results in parent and offspring exhibiting identical gene makeup. Cloning has been done to animals and scientists say it could be done to humans.

Now

You have probably heard of Dolly the sheep. In July 1996, a team of Scottish scientists had the first cloning success. The procedure took two sheep and some very good scientists. They first scraped some skin cells from the udder of the first sheep, and then they  took an unfertilized egg from the second sheep and the nucleus was removed from the egg to prevent the sheep from looking different. Afterwards, the cell grew with the second sheep and it was a success. Then it was released on February 1997 . Dolly was the first clone ever. There was also a calf named Millie, who became the first cloned calf in the United States. She was born on August 23 ,2000. Click on Millie's picture to see the cloning diagram.

Later

Cloning humans is probably something you really haven't thought about or thought it was something found in science fiction. But ever since a doctor at George Washington University, Dr. Jerry Hall, experimented with human cloning, the possibility exists for the future. Though we cannot clone a human yet, one day this may happen. Many people are concerned that cloning will bring many risks. They fear that cloning could produce monstrosities and new forms of life. So in the future you might even get cloned. I hope you enjoyed my research and if you want to learn more, go on the links we set for you.