What Is the Definition of Genetic Cloning?

The study of genetics--the branch of biology that examines heredity in plants, animals, and humans--has come a long way from its humble beginnings wiith the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid 1800s.
Recent genetic advances have made techniques such as genetic cloning a major and often controversial part of modern genetic study.

History

The modern science of genetics began with the work of the nineteenth century Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel. Mendel discovered the basic laws of heredity by experimenting with pea plants that he found in the garden of the monastery in Germany where he lived. Although Mendel's work was not fully recognized during his lifetime, his discoveries later formed the basis for all genetic study.

Identification

All living organisms have their own unique DNA. However, a clone is an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another organism. Genetic cloning is the process by which this genetically identical organism is produced.

Types

There are two main procedures scientists use to produce a genetic clone: artificial embryo twinning and somatic cell nuclear transfer.
In artificial embryo twinning, an early-stage embryo in a petri dish is separated into individual cells. The cells are allowed to divide and develop into separate embryos that are then placed into a surrogate mother. All of the embryos will have the same DNA because they all came from the same original embryo.
In somatic cell nuclear transfer, scientists use the nucleus of a normal body cell (also known as a somatic cell; somatic cells are any body cell other than the reproductive cells). The nucleus is placed into an egg cell that has had its own nucleus removed. This egg cell will develop into an embryo that is then implanted into a surrogate mother. The resulting organism will be genetically identical to the organism that the somatic cell was taken from.

Significance

In 1996, scientists at the Roslin Institute in Scotland used somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce the world's first cloned mammal from an adult somatic cell--Dolly the Finn Dorsett ewe.
Scientists worldwide were astounded at the news. Until Dolly, scientists had never proven that the DNA from an adult cell was capable of being reprogrammed to develop into an entirely new and genetically identical organism.

Considerations

Genetic cloning is one of the most exciting branches of modern genetics. Many researchers believe that cloning will, in the future, be key in learning to fight and perhaps cure certain diseases and conditions.
However, many people are deeply disturbed by the idea that humans are playing God by creating made-to-order creatures. The subject of human cloning in particular is still a controversial and hotly debated moral, ethical, and scientific issue.

Resources

• Learn genetics provides information about genetic research from basic to advanced techniques