What was the historical significance of Dolly the sheep? Cloning debate

**bigdaddy1204** · February 22, 2017, 06:11 PM

Twenty years ago today (22 February 1997), a team of researchers from Scotland announced that they had successfully cloned a sheep - the first mammal to be created from a single adult body cell. The sheep's name? Dolly.

http://www.techradar.com/news/20-yea...ld-for-cloning

What is the historical significance of this event? Is cloning a major new technology with the potential to change the world? Or was it largely a publicity stunt that has little impact on the world?

I have heard several other species have since been cloned, including a horse named Promotea in May 2003. Are we witnessing the dawn of a new historical era? And what does cloning mean for the future of the human species?

**hellheaven1987** · February 22, 2017, 06:26 PM

Time to create a clone army.

**Condottiere 40K** · February 23, 2017, 12:12 AM

That mammals can be cloned, which means humans can be cloned.

Or more importantly, your favourite pets.

Your Mogi will be your eternal companion.

**bigdaddy1204** · February 23, 2017, 10:21 AM

It seems to me only a matter of time before dead species such as the dinosaurs and the woolly mammoth are resurrected. What if someone wants to clone a Neanderthal? What about human cloning? What if human clones are harvested for their internal organs and used to keep 'natural' born people alive? Like in that Kazuo Ishiguro book, Never Let Me Go. It's sinister.

On the other hand, if I am about to die of heart failure and a fresh healthy cloned heart can be installed to replace the old one... as long as it didn't involve harvesting organs from sentient clones, of course.

**Ἀπολλόδοτος Α΄ ὁ Σωτήρ** · February 23, 2017, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by bigdaddy1204

It seems to me only a matter of time before dead species such as the dinosaurs and the woolly mammoth are resurrected. What if someone wants to clone a Neanderthal? What about human cloning? What if human clones are harvested for their internal organs and used to keep 'natural' born people alive? Like in that Kazuo Ishiguro book, Never Let Me Go. It's sinister.

On the other hand, if I am about to die of heart failure and a fresh healthy cloned heart can be installed to replace the old one... as long as it didn't involve harvesting organs from sentient clones, of course.

Those are questions of bioethics which are irrelevant since cloning an entire organism is unnecessary for medical purposes as well as cost inefficient. A clone isn't different from an identical twin, albeit one created at a later date. Additionally clones undergo the same developement and aging cycle.

It is currently impossible to clone a 50 year old and immediately get a 50 year old, yet alone copy his consciousness into clone like in sci-fi. If it were possible then clones would be special, but now they're not much different from standard in vitro fertilisation. Human clones would be treated by the law in the same manner as infants conceived by in vitro fertilisation, by any scientifically literate government.

**sumskilz** · February 23, 2017, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by bigdaddy1204

It seems to me only a matter of time before dead species such as the dinosaurs and the woolly mammoth are resurrected. What if someone wants to clone a Neanderthal?

Nobody has ever been able to recover dinosaur DNA. Some have been able to recover human DNA from dinosaur remains and announce it before realizing their mistake. I don't know if we'll ever be able to recover dinosaur DNA, because it isn't so much an issue of technology but decay rate.

**♔atthias♔** · February 26, 2017, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by sumskilz

Nobody has ever been able to recover dinosaur DNA. Some have been able to recover human DNA from dinosaur remains and announce it before realizing their mistake. I don't know if we'll ever be able to recover dinosaur DNA, because it isn't so much an issue of technology but decay rate.

as in
no matter how good tech is to pick up DNA [if any] DNA decays faster so newer and better tech is needed to do it and so on and on?