CAB Cloning page

Genetic Cloning: Separating Fact from Fiction

Clones-R-Us

Tim Lenoir's Cloning page

Veracity Issues

Did they really succeed in accomplishing what they said they accomplished?

Were the proper controls carried out?

Why have attempts to clone frogs and mice failed in the past?

Is there something unique about sheep?

Why should arresting the cell cycle has a beneficial effect on cloning potential?

Why were the parental sheep sacrificed?

Scientific Issues

Do differentiated cells truly contain all the genetic information found in the germline cells? (At least for lymphocytes, we know this is not the case.)

What is the effect of cloning on the chromosomal telomeres?

What are the implications for the Hayflick phenomenon?

What are the implications for the potential lifespan of the clone?

Bearing in mind that clones can be no more similar than monozygotic twins, will cloning provide greater insights into the effects of environment (especially cytoplasmic and intrauterine) upon mammalian development?

Medical and technological implications

Will cloning technology provide insights into the potential regeneration of damaged organs or limbs?

Will cloning provide a facile way to reproduce high quality livestock?

Will cloned organisms be susceptible to devastating outbreaks of infectious disease or other environmental insults?

Will cloning develop into a viable technology for infertile individuals who want to have children?

Societal issues

Why ask questions about ethics before the science if verified?

Should society be allowed to intervene upon the reproductive freedom of the individual?

Obtaining a nucleus donor cell

(more coming)