Pros and Cons of Cloning

With so many enhancements in medical science, cloning is slowly but surely

looking like it could be in our near future. However, is it really an option that should
be considered as a way to extend human life? Find out the pros and cons, and
decide for yourself if cloning is worth the risks.
Pro: Reproductive Cloning
Reproductive cloning has a number of pros. Much of it relates to helping human
families gain children, but there is also a benefit for the animal world. Heres a brief
list of the ways reproductive cloning can help:

Parents with no eggs and sperm can create children that are genetically
related.
Same sex couples can have children without the use of donor sperm or
donor eggs. The men would only require a surrogate to carry the clone until
birth.
Parents that have lost a child can have that child returned to them with a
clone.
Endangered animals can be cloned to save the species.

These all bring hope to people eager for children but unable to have their own or
adopt. It can also bring about the recreation of species that have long since died,
allowing scientists to fully study the species as a living creature instead of simply
looking at images or bones.
Pro: Organ Replacement
Many believe that cloning can be used to replace failing organs. This will diminish
the waiting list for organ donations and allow more people to be saved. Not only
that, but because the organ is, in fact, your own organ, there would be less chance
of rejection. Your body would recognize the new organ as your own.
Pro: Genetic Research
Cloning could prove helpful in the research of genetics. Using cloning technologies,
genetic researchers would have a better understanding of the composition of genes
and the effects of genetic constituents on human traits. There is also the likely
ability to alter genetic constituents in cloned humans, and cloning could help
combat genetic diseases.
Pro: Obtaining Desired Traits in Organisms
With the use of cloning, organisms can be customized to suit the needs of whatever
research purposes being done. Using genetic alteration in plants and animals,
researchers can replicate organisms needed for research. No longer would there be
the worry of scientists harming creatures because these creatures would be cloned
specifically for the purpose of research
Pro: Recovery from Traumatic Injury

Healing and recovery times could be lowered because of cloning. Using the
persons own cells, they will be able to recover that much faster and that much
easier. Using their own cells, they would be given the chance to truly heal with less
complications.
Con: Reproductive Cloning
There are a number of negatives involved with reproductive cloning, and they are
listed below. Some of the arguments are religious in nature.

Cloning children could foster an understanding that children can be designed

and replicated to the parents wishes.
There would be a lack of uniqueness and violate convictions regarding
human individuality and freedom. Clones could be seen as less than human
compared with non-clones.
Children created by cloning would live in the shadow of the genetic donor,
always having to live up to the expectations of a person they were created
from. Imagine discovering that you are the clone of a child your parents lost,
and you live your life always being compared to the dead child.
95% of animal cloning has ended in failure due to genetic defects, and
cloning is considered unsafe because of it.
Many believe that cloning is against Gods wishes because the clones would
be created by man. Man would be playing God and create people that are
unable to feel and empathize. There is also the belief that these clones
would be created without a soul.

There are many more arguments against reproductive cloning, but this is a brief list
of the main arguments. When thinking about cloning children designed and
replicated to the parents wishes, consider the book My Sisters Keeper in which
Anna is the product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis and is born for the sole
purpose of being a bone marrow plant for her older sister Kate.
Con: Increased Malpractice
While the cloning of body organs can be a great asset to extending human life, it
could also cause a lot of malpractice. Along with the ability to clone desired traits,
there could be the possibility of people deliberately reproducing undesired traits.
This could lead to a rise in malpractices within society.
Con: Lack of Diversity
Cloning involves a process of creating identical genes. As such, there would be a
lack of diversity in humankind. Scientists believe this lack of diversity will lower the
human races ability to adapt. Plus, there would be a lack of diversity in the world
leading to everyone looking the same.
Con: Faster Aging
The idea behind cloning is to harvest cells from a donor, raise them to embryonic
stage in a petri dish, and then place them in a surrogate to grow to term. However,
there is a possibility that the age of the donor could be imprinted on the growing

embryo. This would cause premature aging issues and potentially lead to premature
death.
Con: Security
People shed millions of cells throughout their day as their skin cells fall off. You can
leave skin cells even on a computer keyboard, and those cells could be used to
clone you if cloning becomes a reality. What laws would there be to defend your
rights as the true non-clone compared to the clone? Would there be any defense
against people collecting cells and cloning random people?
Final Note
Whatever your view on cloning may be, studies show that the clone would in fact
not be completely identical to the original just as twins are not completely identical.
Though they might look alike, twins have different personalities and enjoy different
things. The same would be said of clones. Even if technology were created in which
your memories and thoughts could be transmitted to the clone, your clone would
still be a different person.
Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering has struck a major controversy concerning issues in heath care,
engineering of food and other biological agents, and cloning. Genetic engineering is
the process of manipulating the genetic code or DNA of a particular organism.
Compared to most sciences genetic engineering is quite new to our society. The
moral and religious implications have been controversial issues since the inception of
the concept. Many believe that we have crossed the line with genetic engineering
and that it is not our place, but with the modern breakthroughs that genetic
engineering research has unturned it is undeniable that it is extremely valuable tool
to modern society, and everyday life.
Genetic engineering has found its main place in health care. The benefits to the
human race in this field are unlimited. Many of the medicines you see on the shelves
today are created to some degree using genetic engineering. Insulin that is used
today for diabetics is created using genetically engineered bacteria. Scientist will
soon be able to use engineered animal organs to transplant into patients needing a
heart, a liver or any other similar part. This process is known as xenotransplantation.
Still people question the ethical implications of a procedure that could save many
lives. Without genetic engineering we would never have found cures and treatments
for some of the most deadly diseases that are threatening mankind. How can we
expect to find the cure for AIDS without performing such research? Genetic
engineering is one of our most powerful tools in health care today.
Breeding plant and animal species has been a long time practice of mankind. The
selection and reproduction of desirable traits by breeding can be observed in many

places. Just about everything we eat has been scientifically bred to be that way.
Scientists have taken that process a step farther by adding genetic engineering into
the mix. Imagine a tomato the size of your head. Impossible, right? You'd be
surprised in all we can do with the help of genetic engineering. Advances in genetic
engineering have now made it possible to crossbreed between organisms that are
not alike. For example, to combine plants with animals, and so on. We have the
ability to create great tasting, fat free, healthy foods, without the butchering of
animals. But scientists don't stop at foods; genetic engineering has also been
implicated into cleaning products, garden accessories, and much more.
Probably the most controversial subject in genetic engineering is doing it to us. The
scientific world was rocked in 1997 by the cloning of a sheep named Dolly at the
Roslin Institute. Dolly was cloned from a mammary gland cell of an adult sheep. This
brought on the question that people are faced with today. Can we, and Should we
attempt to clone a human being? Well there are two possibilities on how we can
clone humans. The first way involves splitting an embryo into several halves and
creating many new individuals from that embryo. The second method of cloning a
human involves taking cells from an already existing human being and cloning them,
in turn creating other individuals that are identical to that particular person. Think
about it, no more nasty surprises like sickle cell or Down syndrome; just 100%
healthy human beings. Mothers will no longer have to worry about their unborn
children. Genetic diseases will have been a thing of the past. The benefits to
researching cloning are unimaginable.
To conclude this paper, my point is simple. We can gain so much, and end so much
suffering by this magnificent tool. No more genetically related disease or genetic
disfigurement. No more worrying about heart disease or going bald because it runs in
the family. Genetic Engineering is forced upon no one, but to have the choice would
be something that many people would be eternally grateful for. Genetic engineering
has proven itself useful in so many fields, raging from the food we eat to the
medicines we take, and has perhaps been the greatest scientific advancement in
history
Genetically Modified Organisms - Pros and Cons
GMOs are microorganisms, plants, and animals that have their genes altered.
Usually they are modified either to further scientific research or to alter the food
supply. Common genetic modifications include: adding antibacterial genes to plants,
introducing genes that make the organism bigger or hardier, making new foods by
adding genes from existing foods, and adding animals genes to plants and vice
versa.

Most American crops are now genetically modified and the percentage of GMOs in
our food supply is growing extremely rapidly. Products that are genetically modified
do not have to be labeled as such.
There is a great debate going on right now on the subject of genetically modified
foods, or GMOs. For some, the idea of GMO food is a good one because the
modifications allow crops to become resistant to drought and infestations, letting
more people have more regular meals. Some research even shows that the world
produces 17% more food than it needs to produce to provide each current human
with three squares per day!
Others look at genetically modified foods as a dangerous proposition. From allergic
reactions to potential intestinal damage, many people wish to avoid GMO foods
because of animal studies that have shown changes in internal cell structure,
abnormal tumor growth, and unexpected deaths that have occurred. So what exactly
are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
Pros of Genetically Modified Foods
1. Better overall quality and taste and more nutritious foods
Through the modification of foods, the flavors can be enhanced. Peppers can
become spicier or sweeter. Corn can become sweeter. Difficult flavors can become
more palatable.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations reports that some GMO
foods have been engineered to be more nutritious in terms of mineral or vitamin
content. Not only does this help you get the nutrients you need, it can also play a
significant role in battling malnutrition in the developing world. The United Nations
advises that vitamin A-enhanced rice is helping to reduce global vitamin A
deficiencies.
2. Insect Resistance
Some GMO foods have been modified to make them more resistant to insect pests.
The University of California in San Diego reports that a toxic bacterium can be added
to crops to make them insect repellent, yet safe for human use. This can reduce the
amount of pesticide chemicals used on the plants, thus potentially reducing exposure
to pesticides.
3. More nutrition benefits.
GMO foods can have vitamins and minerals added to them through genetic
modifications to provide greater nutritive benefits to those who eat them. This is
especially common in developing countries that dont always have the access to
needed resources.
Cons of Genetically Modified Foods
1. Environmental damage.
A constant risk of GMO foods is that the modified genes of the organisms may
escape into the wild. Herbicide-resistant genes from commercial crops may cross
into the wild weed population, thus creating "super weeds" that are impossible to kill
with herbicides. A related risk is that the escape of genetically enhanced animals and

vegetation can create new super-organisms that can out-compete natural animal and
plant populations to drive certain species into extinction.
2. There is no economic value.
GMO foods take just as long to mature and take just as much effort to grow, meaning
that there is no real economic value to growing GMO foods when compared to nonGMO foods.
3. Allergic Reactions
GMO foods can present significant allergy risks to people. Genetic modification often
mixes or adds proteins that weren't indigenous to the original plant or animal, causing
new allergic reactions in the human body. In some cases, proteins from an organism
that you're allergic to may be added to an organism that you weren't originally allergic
to, prompting the same allergic reaction experienced from the first organism.
Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks?
Why evaluate the pros and cons of genetically modified foods? The answer to this is,
the benefits need to outweigh the risks when it comes to their mass production. In
some areas, having access to GMO foods may make sense because resources are
thin and people are dying from hunger. In other areas, however, the risks may
outweigh the rewards. Where do you stand on GMO foods?
Space Conquest

Milestones in Space Exploration

1957

October 4 - The Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, into space.

November 3 - The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 was launched with a dog

named Laika on board. Laika did not survive the voyage.
1958

January 31 - Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States
when it was sent into orbit on January 31, 1958.
1960

August 19 - The Soviet craft Sputnik 5 was launched, carrying the dogs
Strelka and Belka. They became the first living beings to survive a trip into space.
1961

April 12 - Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

May 5 - Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

1962

February 20 - Astronaut John Glenn became the first American in orbit.

June 16 - Valentina Nikolayeva Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

1965

March 18 - While tethered to his spacecraft, cosmonaut Alexi Leonov became

the first man to walk in space.
1966

February 3 - The Russian spacecraft Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to

land on the moon.

June 2 - Surveyor 1 became the first American spacecraft to land on the

moon.
1968

September 15 - The Soviet spacecraft Zond 5 was launched and later became
the first spacecraft to orbit the moon and return to Earth.

December 21 - Apollo 8 was launched, and later her crewmembers became

the first men to orbit the moon.
1969
July 20 - Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men on the moon.

1970

September 12 - The Soviet craft Luna 16 was launched and became the first
automatic spacecraft to return soil samples of the moon.
December 15 - The Soviet Venera 7 became the first probe to land on Venus.

1971

November 13 - The Mariner 9 probe became the first craft to orbit another
world - Mars.
1976

September - The American probe Viking 2 discovered water frost on the

Martian surface.
1980
November 13 - Voyager 1 reached Saturn and began transmitting images.

1981
April 12 - Columbia became the first Space Shuttle to be launched.

1983
June 19 - Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.

1984

February 3 - Astronaut Bruce McCandless became the first man to take an

untethered space walk.
October - Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space.

2001

April 28 - American Dennis Tito became the first tourist in space after paying
the Russian space program $20,000,000.
2008

May 25 - NASAs Phoenix Mars Lander landed safely and began sending
images home after a 10-month, 422 million-mile journey. Scientists later reported
that Phoenix discovered chunks of ice.
2009

March 6 - The NASA spacecraft Kepler was launched. Its mission is to search
for planets outside our solar system, in a distant area of the Milky Way.

June 18 - NASA launched the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite,
also known as LCROSS. The mission is to confirm the presence or absence of ice
on the moon. On November 13, 2009, NASA scientists announced the discovery of
a "significant amount" of ice in a crater near the moons South Pole.
2010

October 10 - Virgin Galactic, a private company, announced the successful

first manned glide flight of the VSS Enterprise. This vehicle is a suborbital plane
designed to take private citizens on suborbital space flights.

October 11 - President Barack Obama signed legislation focusing NASAs

efforts on exploring Mars and the asteroids.

December 8 - A private company named SpaceX launched a spacecraft into

orbit and returned it to earth safely. It was the first non-government organization to
accomplish this.
2011

July 8 - The space shuttle Atlantis became the last American space shuttle to
be launched into space.

July 16 - NASA's Dawn spacecraft became the first man made craft to orbit an
asteroid.

November 26 - NASA launched Curiosity, the biggest, best equipped robot

ever sent to explore another planet. It will reach Mars in 2012.
2012

August 6 - NASA's Curiosity rover successfully landed on Mars. As large as a

car, it carried an array of advanced new instruments and experiments.