Human Cloning Process
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Status of Cloning
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There has been a great deal of talk about the possibility of human cloning. Cloning is when a separate organism is produced that is exactly identical to the parent. Plants often do this in nature, creating exact copies of themselves through asexual reproduction. It should be stated that thus far there is no scientifically recognized experiment that has cloned a human. There are many that have duplicated cells of humans, but none that have grown a full clone. The methods for human cloning are possible, though, and getting closer to achieving that result all the time.
Process
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At the moment, animals are cloned through a process called nuclear transplantation. When an egg is fertilized normally, it will begin to divide and grow into a baby. The process of nuclear transplantation is when the nucleus of a fertilized egg, the part that contains the DNA and instructions for growth, is replaced by a nucleus from the parent. This means that the egg will divide and grow, but that it will grow into an exact, genetic copy of the parent whose nucleus was put into the egg. This method works well for simple animals, but since primates, and especially humans, are more complex, it's nearly impossible to switch the nucleus without damaging vital, genetic material.
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Modifications
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As of 2009, human cloning was still in its theoretical stage. However, there is a suggested technique that may solve the issue of damaging the genetic material in the switch of the nucleus. Instead of switching out the entire nucleus, small sections of the existing genome, the DNA, inside of the egg need to be altered in order to produce a clone. There is currently a ban on human cloning in the United States, but this technique could make cloning of a complicated organism such as a human quite feasible.
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