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. | + | '''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 (eg. 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>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20813264</ref>. |
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==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 16:40, June 6, 2011
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 (eg. 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].
