Difference between revisions of "Cloning"
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| − | + | '''Cloning''' is the process of making copies of a specific piece of [[DNA]], usually a [[gene]]. When geneticists speak of cloning, they may not mean the process of making genetically identical copies of an entire organism, but of making a copy of a small piece of DNA. To date, the highest species to be cloned are non-human primates. There are currently strict NIH regulations against the cloning of humans; few groups support the cloning of entire humans, though the cloning of select organisms in host animals (e.g. growing replacement human hearts in pigs) is a long term goal of the scientific community. Recently, proof-of-concept experiments growing cloned rat organs in mice and via versa have demonstrated the feasibility of one day growing cloned human organs in host animals.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20813264</ref> | |
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| + | ==Endangered species== | ||
| + | Cloning is used to replicate endangered species and avoid extinction. As announced in February 2021, cloning successfully created the first American endangered species: a black-footed ferret. It was duplicated from the genes of a black-footed ferret which died more than 30 years earlier, and born on December 10, 2020.<ref>https://apnews.com/article/1st-cloned-endagered-species-ferret-23cde3908e496692648dc28d4b8121ee</ref> | ||
| + | ==References== | ||
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| + | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Genetics]] | [[Category:Genetics]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:32, February 22, 2021
Cloning is the process of making copies of a specific piece of DNA, usually a gene. When geneticists speak of cloning, they may not mean the process of making genetically identical copies of an entire organism, but of making a copy of a small piece of DNA. To date, the highest species to be cloned are non-human primates. There are currently strict NIH regulations against the cloning of humans; few groups support the cloning of entire humans, though the cloning of select organisms in host animals (e.g. growing replacement human hearts in pigs) is a long term goal of the scientific community. Recently, proof-of-concept experiments growing cloned rat organs in mice and via versa have demonstrated the feasibility of one day growing cloned human organs in host animals.[1]
Endangered species
Cloning is used to replicate endangered species and avoid extinction. As announced in February 2021, cloning successfully created the first American endangered species: a black-footed ferret. It was duplicated from the genes of a black-footed ferret which died more than 30 years earlier, and born on December 10, 2020.[2]