cloning

[STEED]

Clone to take on natural rivals
The world's first equine clone will challenge naturally bred runners next month in Nevada.
Idaho Gem is a mule created three years ago by cloning DNA taken from a foetus produced by the parents of a champion racer.

It will race against another mule clone and a full field of non-clones.

The two clones have been separated for two years, so their performances could offer insight into the role of the environment in development.


We don't know if they are going to have... the attitude to want to run and want to compete and want to win
Don Jacklin

The University of Idaho scientists who cloned Idaho Gem also produced two other cloned mules in 2002 from the same DNA.
One of those two, Idaho Star, will compete against Idaho Gem along with naturally-bred mules in Winnemucca, Nevada, and on the California racing circuit this summer.

Analysing how the clones perform against each other will give scientists information on how variables like diet and training regimes affect developing racing mules.

Those behind the race say that just because they carry the DNA of past champions, there is no guarantee the clones will be successful.

Nature vs nurture

"We know they have the genetic capability to be great," said Don Jacklin, president of the American Mule Racing Association, who leases Idaho Gem from the University of Idaho for about $1,000 (£533) a year.

"We don't know if they are going to have... the attitude to want to run and want to compete and want to win."

Mules are produced by breeding a female horse with a male donkey and are usually infertile.


Gordon Woods, the lead scientist on the University of Idaho project that created the clones was keen to emphasise there was nothing abnormal about the cloned mules.
Dr Woods told the Associated Press that the mule cloning project also provided insights into human cancer research and, in particular, calcium's possible role in tumour development.

Trainers have been putting the two clones through their paces at a track in Stockton, California.

Mr Jacklin said he hoped cloning technology would eventually be embraced by the horse racing industry as another breeding tool.

But The Jockey Club, thoroughbred racing's governing body in North America, keeps an extremely tight rein on breeding practices.

Only natural breeding methods are allowed, and club rules explicitly prohibit not only cloning but artificial insemination of any kind.

Inj the UK, cloning is banned in horse racing but could be used in competitions such as show jumping.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...re/5004820.stm

Published: 2006/05/22 12:42:31 GMT

© BBC MMVI

Animal cloning shall always continual the problem is sooner or latter the first Human will be cloned and that will raise many questions. And the big question have we stepped over the mark, once we cross the boundary we have left are self’s open to anything.

[The Noob]

YES!

Lets start to Clone!

[mapuc]

Yea! Could be fun to see lots of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running around :rotfl: :rotfl:

Markus

[GreyOctober]

I for one am for cloning but ONLY for organ harvesting. This could save countless lives of people who are on waiting lists and it could mean an endless supply of organs (in theory).

I am against human cloning as a mean to copy a whole person. Im not sure yet why im against it since im not very religeous :hmm: Maybe because, through repeaded cloning and genetic engineering it would lead to the perfect human with no defects (personallity and phisically wise), a super-human set apart from the rest which im quite sure will not be accepted. We as humans are set apart by individuallity, each and every one of us is unique and thats the beauty of it.

[TLAM Strike]

Since any clone would develop a totally different personality than the original I see no problem.

[August]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Since any clone would develop a totally different personality than the original I see no problem.

They might be different in personality but not in their genetic makeup and that's, imo, the big problem.

[CCIP]

I don't really see the problem; I think this will eventually be done - that's what all of this seems to be leading up to, anyway.

[Perilscope]

Well I can always clone myself with the pretext that if a major war starts, I will send him instead of me ... if the clone doesn't end up sending me that is…

[Bertgang]

I'm strongly against.

Of course, some development in that way seem promising (spare parts from our body instead of from a poor cadaver, as example), but I am quite sure that, once allowed and possible for excellent reasons, someone will use this tech really badly.

[Oberon]

Ugh, this is a real grey area. Cloning, at face value, seems like a great idea, the ideal way of creating the perfect race, no defects and no faults. Body harvesting, making organs to be cut out and put in other people, it's gonna solve a helluva lot of problems.

But when I look above at what I've just written, 'The perfect race' I just have nasty flashbacks to history lessons about other people who've declared themselves on a mission to make the perfect race.
Although I'm in favour of scientific progress, human cloning...doesn't seem such a good idea to me, not until we've done research into the human genome to remove that part of the human species that creates people such as Kurt Blome and Siegfried Ruff.

[STEED]

Indeed it’s a grey area all sort of things come to mind like a super race are we heading towards a (BLADERUNNER) situation, granted yes that was a sci-fi film which super humans were created with out emotions and a four year life span.

We are already tinkering around the edges and when we head strait into the deep end what kind of frame work will be in place, what kind of safeguards as well once we cross that line. We will be in the position to open all kinds of doors and some of them will have nasty things behind them.

[Dowly]

If we clone animals, why not humans? After all, we are animals too.

[August]

Originally Posted by CCIP

I don't really see the problem; I think this will eventually be done - that's what all of this seems to be leading up to, anyway.

The problem is that, without some genetic diversity, the first killer bug which comes along would wipe out the entire population.

Take the black plague of Europe for example. If a person inherited a particular gene from one parent they got sick but rarely died. If a person got the gene from both parents they didn't get sick at all. But if, like many in Europe at the time, they didn't get that gene from either parent then they died if were exposed to the disease.

[kiwi_2005]

I dont think i could handle another Me

Ones enough thanks very much

[CB..]

Originally Posted by Perilscope

Well I can always clone myself with the pretext that if a major war starts, I will send him instead of me ... if the clone doesn't end up sending me that is…

reckon that's the start and end of the argument right there---if we create a clone we automatically assume it has less rights than us--where-as the clone may well disagree--as pointed out this creates as many problems as it solves--if indeed it solves any problems at all---if we create clones purely for body parts and remove any intelligence at all then that kinda proves the point--

are we really 100% sure what we really want isn't going to turn out to be a race of slaves ?--it's a bit like IMO the desire to create artificail intelligence--fine as long as it accepts it has no rights what so ever--which isn't very intelligent--same with genetic screening etc---are we 100% sure we know what are good qualitys and what are bad?--great lets make workers who never get fed up of low wages or poor conditions---save our selves a whole lot of bother---unless of course you happen to be one of those workers --but then you won't care--argghhhhh endless
i wouldn't trust the human race to do the right thing with this one in a million years--that's if there even is a right thing which is doubt full