ADSactly Tech News - Clones and Pets and More Clones!
ADSactly Tech News: Clones and Pets and More Clones!
New scientific research shows that scientists have been able to create a living embryo in a laboratory without using either egg or sperm in ground-breaking but hugely controversial experiments.
ViaGen is a U.S. company with the ability to clone pets in addition to livestock.
Sometimes I look around when on a walk in the city or out of town and just think to myself, 'what will the world be like and look like in 10 or even 20 years?'
Based on my understanding of the research being conducting in the fields of AI, robotics, genetics and supercomputing, I have no doubt things will be extremely different. Will there be clones walking our streets or androids or robots of different sorts and types? Probably.
Will we actually walk in cities or will they be too polluted or radiated? Possibly but I hope not...
My mind wanders in all sorts of places when thinking about this topic.
In order to limit my ideas to a particular idea or focus for this article I spent quite a few hours combing the web for interesting stories in the field of technology.
And I thought to myself, wow, this would be so much easier if I had a clone of myself and could divide the labor. One of us could research and outline an article, the other could write it up.
Then the more sensible part of me told the less sensible part of me to stop dreaming and get to work! But something stuck... How long will it take for my idea to enter the realm of possibility and move from science fiction to reality?
I don't really want to clone myself or see anyone cloned but is it possible? The answer is question may shock and amaze you. So without further delay, lets have a look at where modern science is currently at in regard to cloning...
Through my reserach I found a few recent developments that point to a real possibility that cloning technology is now at a point where it is possible to clone a human being and beyond that its even more likely that this technology has already been used to do so albeit in secrecy.
In a recent article published by Express, it was stated that scientists have already created a living embryo in a laboratory without using either egg or sperm. This research is considered to be both ground-breaking and incredibly controversial at the same time.
The experimental research combined two types of stem cells and created a viable embryo – which the team say would provide an unlimited stock for medical research.
The created embryos would also be used for medical treatment testing and help shed light on one of the biggest infertility enigmas - why embryos fail to implant in the womb.
I will be the first to admit my knowledge of science is vastly more limitied than I would like it to be. For example, what exactly is an embryo and how close is it to being a human being?
I needed to consult with a dictionary to find the answer to this:
em·bry·o
ˈembrēˌō/
noun
noun: embryo; plural noun: embryos- an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, in particular a human offspring during the period from approximately the second to the eighth week after fertilization (after which it is usually termed a fetus).
Now we are getting somewhere. The real question we need to consider from a philosophical point is 'does an embryo have a soul?'
I don't want to take this article into the territory of religious debate so I'll leave my readers to think about the question above and move on for now...
Finally according to this article published in the Express, researchers believe that their new method of creation could see mice being cloned in three years time, and humans two decades later.
This is in contrast to my firm belief that technology has progressed a lot further than the general public has been made aware of but alas without proof this gut feeling remains in the realm of conspiracy... For now...
So perhaps let me educate my readers about the real life cloning taking place. Let me tell you a little story about puppies... Don't worry, I'm not taking you down another side track. This is relevant to the topic here...
Do you have a pet? Have you ever thought about how fragile and short your pet's lifespan is when compared to our own human lifespans? Would you like to have your pet forever or at least a pet that looks and acts very similar to your own? Well the impossible is now possible in that regard.
There once was a woman from Bel Air who loved her chihuahua with long-hair. She loved him so much and made such a fuss and paid a Texas animal cloning company a large sum to copy her dog. Now it's no doubt this story is a bit odd but the question remains, would you clone your loved one?
She paid $50,000 so that her dog — or a version of him — will be at her side forever.
I find a story like this to be quite interesting indeed. First the fact that this is even possible startles and amazes me. Beyond that I've got mixed feelings about this whole cloning business as it feels to be a bit on the fringe of right and wrong, should human beings really have this power? What may we end up using it for in the future?
According to my source, five puppies genetically identical to her dog, named Bruce Wayne, were born in October and thrived.
Four went to live with Bruce and his owner, Meesha Kauffman, while the fifth has a home now with a friend of Kauffman’s in Baltimore.
“I was expecting one puppy or maybe two,” Kauffman said. “When I heard that five puppies were born, I thought, ‘Wow, I hit the jackpot.’ Having five dogs has definitely been a lifestyle change. But goodness, they bring me so much joy I can’t imagine parting with any of them now.”
Well take a look at those cute puppies above. They look completely healthy and normal. Would you ever have any inkling of a suspicion that they were cloned and look almost identical to their genetic donor? I wouldn't have a clue if you showed me one individually that it was a clone!
Apparently a company called ViaGen is the only company in the U.S. to clone pets in addition to livestock.
Since expanding from livestock into pet cloning more than two years ago, ViaGen, a subsidiary of the Gaithersburg biotechnology firm Intrexon, has cloned more than 100 pets, Rodriguez said, and more than half are dogs. Though the chihuahua pups aren’t the first cloned pets to live in Maryland — Rodriguez said the company has previously cloned cats for Free State residents — they are the company’s first cloned canines in the state.
Cloning pets is no big deal now. So I'll have to guess that what's around the corner for this new fringe science will most likely include human beings. Would you like to have two wives or two husbands indentical to the first? Would you decide to backup your son or daughter so just incase something happpened to them you could recreate them in their likeness? Does this just completely freak me out or have I stirred something in you as well?
I don't know what my fellow @ADSactly society members think about all this but I think that discussing this topic is worth the time and effort it would take to do so.
If you've got a strong opinion on cloning either way, I am open minded and I would love to hear it in the comments below!
Here's a chance for the @ADSactly community to leave their thoughts and opinions on this topic!
Thanks for reading.
Authored by: @techblogger
In-text citations sources:
"Cloning horror: Human clone fears as Euro scientists CREATE LIFE from ‘nothing’" - Express
"These puppies might be Maryland's first cloned dogs" - Baltimore Sun
Image Sources:
Express
Baltimore Sun
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Good article, @adsactly.
I couldn't imagine wanting to clone my dog after he dies. I wouldn't want a simulacrum of him and it would be disrespectful to his memory to think I could replace him with a physical copy - not to mention unfair on the cloned dog itself.
No, my focus is on giving my dog the best life I can give him while he's here. Lots of long walks in the forest, lots of love and comfy spots to nap in the house, and the odd bit of people food now and again. He's a huge curry fiend.
I understand your feelings about this. I agree that it is a bit naive to think you can simply clone your pet or a loved one and that in some way amounts to having them back. Focusing on the present and really living life is a much better alternative. Happy you enjoyed my article. Take care.
I think most of us have this kind of moment. At some point I see new generation of robots, moving like a human, speaking like a human and looking just like a human. And of course there is going to be bitcoin all over 😆. Bitcoin along with other cryptocurency will replace global currency and will be popular as today’s credit cards. When it comes to overall technology such as WiFi...I’m already worried about living inside the microwave with all these waives and radiation. Wait when they release 5G... And there is nothing we could do about it. We will eventually become mutants, if not already.
I’m on the same page. If I think about cloning of humans, I can only imagine one purpose, human organs. We may be creating a race of humans just to remove their organs and slowly killing them. Can you imagine if it was someone like you, or me with feelings. There is no way that even clone wouldn’t have any feelings. And just to create exactly the same person you just lost, is at the end completely different person even if it’s a clone. It’s even hard to call a human being a clone. Just a thought of me being replaced by my loved one once I die is frightening. I hope and pray there are no clones in my lifetime or ever.
Very interesting article @techblogger & @adsactly!
Yes. There was a popular sci-fi film about the idea of cloning duplicates to reserve spare organs called 'The Island' it was creepy indeed. I agree with your thoughts. Thanks for contributing!
The technology it's advancing in giant steps and genetics is no exception.
I do not think we will ever be fine with cloning humans since we always think that humans are unique from one another and having everyone to be the same it is not right (in my point of view), but I do think that genetic engineering in humans will play a large role on our future.
I see the future as we developing superhumans by means of 'forced evolution' or 'human GMO's ' where we artificially select and sometimes implant genes to make all newborn humans strong, handsome and intelligent, we will in due time become the race of the superhumans.
I don't see anything wrong with that, where I do see things wrong is in how are we going to implement these changes? What I mean is that I think is unethical to not give this opportunity to enhance their children abilities and be competitive because of factors like money, then it will become 'survival of the wealthiest' and that is unfair and in my point of view unethical since it will create two classes of humans and put inequality along marked that what it is right now.
Thank you for posting this, it was reflective to me and I enjoyed it.
Happy you enjoyed it @rogueofoz. Nice contributions, especially the terminology and descriptions used i.e.
Completely agree with this chain of thought!
Cloning myself for the purpose of dividing up the work some more might backfire - what if my clones also would rather daydream rather than do the work, then look at me and ask me to do it? Oh man, that'd be so horrible but so me.
That said, the idea of cloning a wife or sibling does repel me, a person is more than their DNA, their experience also makes up who they are and as cloning technology is mostly at the embryo stage, they are not replicating the memories or knowledge or skills that also define a person as who they are. And even if technology was at that point, the fundamental idea of a self for a person - the original person's "self" is who I want, not a cloned copy.
There is a lot of utility in cloning, but applications of it to humans certainly feel odd - perhaps they'll be treated as late-coming twins to the "original copy" and then be free to live life as they wish, and I suppose that's okay. But if there reaches a point where one person can be cloned dozens or hundreds of times, and furthermore be further "modified" to always act in some way or another, well, it'd be nice if they didn't serve as relentless soldiers for some government or another.
Cloning animals or pets can help greatly with research, as helps with controlling the animal's very own DNA, but genetic diversity within a species through reproduction is still important - there may well be a disease waiting out there that specializes in taking down that clone's particular strain of DNA.
Yes, I remember sometime ago there was a movie called multiplicity. It focused on this exact concept of clones sort of rebelling.
Clones meerly start at the same genetic starting point that the 'original' started at. All the experiences and inputs are what make a dog a dog or a man a man.
Hell, if I had a clone he might still be married to my first ex. And how much poorer would he be for the experiences I've had. Or he might still be married to my first ex. And how much poorer would I be for the experiences he had?
It makes my head hurt :0
Thanks for a wonderful and thought provoking column. Would you or one of your homies like to come do some research for me?
Sure Tom. I'll send you a group of five @techblogger clones to help you out. If you damage them or they break, I'll just clone more of them... Cheers!
Previously, cloning seemed to us fantastic. In destve I always wanted to have a clone that would do all the hard work for me :)
But with each year progress does not cease to amaze humanity. I first learned about successful cloning when scientists from the Netherlands cloned a piece of meat. That is, scientifically, this is called raw pork. Then they claimed that this would help in the future to receive meat in a more humane way than killing animals.
After that, I heard little about cloning. But after reading, I was surprised. I think that there are moral aspects of this process. I Many people do not find it right to clone more intelligent creatures. But it was always like this. That is, there are always those who will be against.
I think that there are a lot of pluses in cloning. It is interesting where in the end will lead mankind the possibility of creating clones
The DNA is only the tip of the iceberg. Mitochondrial heritage and plenty of other factors also have their say.
I do not even think that there is not much interest or even money in merely copying embryos as such.
Not even for breeding animal species. Get identical clones and as soon as a disease they are vulnerable to hits your stock, there are all gone.
Genetic diversity is a financial isssue. To some extent.
And about plastic rhinos without their natural surroundings? They die out for a reason. And this reason is not reverted in a lab.
I understand your point with this. I didn't consider about the effect this may have on genetic diversity. Cool thoughts. Thanks for sharing.
There are different opinions on this subject. Many people consider that cloning primates brings us closer to the possibility of cloning people, which has a great ethical and moral implication. However, some others point to the option of cloning organs of the body that are used for transplants, which would save thousands of lives. According to Mu-Ming Poo, even endangered species, such as gorillas, could be cloned. Josep Santaló, member of the Bioethics and Law Committee of the University of Barcelona, explained for El País: "The biggest problem is that we are getting closer and closer to human cloning. If this technique is perfected and it is guaranteed that it does not produce abortions or malformations, it is probably necessary to review the Oviedo agreement that prohibits reproductive cloning for dignity, to be evaluated based on the criterion of proportionality, that is, if the benefits are greater what the risks or the opposite. If the benefits are greater, why not clone humans?
Deep thoughts to consider. I would agree indeed that cloning primates brings us closer to cloning people. Cloning organs doesn't seem so bad as long as they aren't cloning people as organ banks. In regard to the greater concept of cloning humans I find the idea a bit creepy but I suppose it just means I need to research this more and understand all the angles in greater detail. Thanks,
educated post
Thanks
your welcome
Nice work, explores the technological and ethical issues involved nicely at a level that lay people can understand. I don't know about clones being used for labor but for organ harvesting? Sheeeeee-it, I wouldn't be surprised if it was already happening.
Also, assuming we truly perfect the cloning of adults, nothing good could possibly come of loading them with the memories of the original. Not only is that a completely separate (and arguably harder) technology.