High Rate of Failure
The number one concern faced when cloning is done is if it will fail. Cloning has a very high chance of failure, with just a sliver of success. The rate of success is from 0.1% chance - 3% chance. The main reason for this could be because-
- The egg may not be compatible with the surrogate mother it is placed into
- The egg may not be formed properly
- The egg nucleus may not be able to develop properly
- The creation of the egg itself may fail
The Chance of Problems During Later Development
Once an animal is cloned, it has a chance of developing LOS, or Large Offspring Syndrome.
LOS is basically just when the offspring created has abnormally large organs, leading to problems such as
not being able to breath properly.
LOS is basically just when the offspring created has abnormally large organs, leading to problems such as
not being able to breath properly.
Abnormal Gene Expressions
This happens when the embryo of the cloned organism isn't fully reprogrammed. When this happens, the organism won't be able to express the right genes at the right time. This can cause the embryo to develop abnormally, or fail.
Faster aging
This is a simpler way of saying telomeric differences. Firstly, as cells divide, their chromosomes get shorter. This is because the DNA sequences at both ends of a chromosome (telomeres), shrink in length every time DNA is copied. The older the animal, the shorter the telomeres, because the cells have divided many, many times. This is natural for aging.
Dolly the sheep was an astounding experiment, but why did she so die quickly?
This was because she aged very quickly, due to her shorter-than-normal telomere sizes.
Through that, we can conclude that longer telomere lead to longer lifespans and shorter telomeres lead to shorter lives.
Dolly the sheep was an astounding experiment, but why did she so die quickly?
This was because she aged very quickly, due to her shorter-than-normal telomere sizes.
Through that, we can conclude that longer telomere lead to longer lifespans and shorter telomeres lead to shorter lives.
Medicine
On the bright side, even with all those risks, cloning still has benefits.
In medicine, cloning can quickly help make multiple populations of organisms needed for medicine.
It can also help make basic stem cells.
What are stem cells in the first place?
Well, stem cells are the cells that maintain, repair, and build our body throughout our lives. These cells are what keep organisms alive, and therefore you can see why they are worthy of cloning. Examples of stem cells include blood cells, bone marrow, muscles, etc.
In medicine, cloning can quickly help make multiple populations of organisms needed for medicine.
It can also help make basic stem cells.
What are stem cells in the first place?
Well, stem cells are the cells that maintain, repair, and build our body throughout our lives. These cells are what keep organisms alive, and therefore you can see why they are worthy of cloning. Examples of stem cells include blood cells, bone marrow, muscles, etc.
Reviving Dead, Endangered, or Extinct species
This technology can help us make copies of an endangered species, before it goes extinct. This can help us prevent the species from going extinct by making the copies. This works because the DNA of an organism, be it dead, has a very long lifespan. Also, it can help revive a deceased pet. If you had a pet you really loved, you could clone it and make an organism very similar to it.
Cloning Livestock
This process is very basic. If you want many of one organism with favorable traits, you would want to clone it. This would help you if you were a farmer. For example, if you had a cow who produced a lot of milk, you would want to clone that cow, maybe even several times, so you can have a herd of them, and get rich $)