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Trey Senical

AP Lang

Mrs. Taylor

25 March 2017

The Effects of Stem Cell Cloning

Science is always changing from when cave men created fire

to when the Wright Brothers created the first plane. Scientists

can now clone living things with just a stem cell. There are

three different types of stem cells: totipotent, pluripotent, and

multipotent stem cells (Stem Cell). Totipotent stem cells are

zygotes that can split into two cells, each with a parent cell

inside(Taber). The parent cell of the totipotent can divide even

further making more cells (Stem Cell). It takes a totipotent

cell 4 days to grow over 120 cells, forming a blastocyst(Taber).

Inside the blastocyst, are pluripotent stem cells, also called

embryonic stem cells and unlike the totipotent cells they cannot

grow into a new life (Stem Cell). Even though the pluripotent

stem cells cannot make life, they can become any cell in the

body(Taber). The pluripotent cells can form skin cells, brain

cells, pancreatic cells, and over 200 more different types of

cells(Larson). The pluripotent cells are only found in the embryo

and disappear before a baby is born (Taber). The stem cells that
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stay after a child is born are called multipotent stem

cells(Larson). Multipotent stem cells are cells that lie in a

babys organs after birth (Stem Cell). Unlike pluripotent stem

cells, they are not as flexible and are unspecialized(Larson).

Even though the multipotent cells are unspecialized they can

proliferate and differentiate(Taber). Multipotent cells cannot

become any cell in the body, but they can regenerate cells in the

organs which they are located (Stem Cell). These Multipotent

cells are adult stem cells(Larson). The reason they are called

adult stem cells are because they remain active in a persons

body throughout their entire life(Taber). There are many

locations for multipotent cells, one of them is in bone

marrow(Larson). In the bone marrow, multipotent cells can produce

any kind of blood or bone cell (Stem Cell). Other types of

multipotent cells that lie in a persons eyes, brain, and heart

dont do anything even if the area is damaged(Larson). The way

stem cell cloning works is when scientists extract pluripotent

stem cells from baby embryos of any species (Stem Cell). Then,

the scientists use stem cells and DNA of the animal they want to

clone for the experiment (Cloning: The Fountain of Youth?). The

scientists then merge the stem cells with the DNA (Stem cell).

With all the ingredients, the scientist then puts the mixture in

an incubator until it forms into the cloned species(Cloning: The

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Fountain of Youth?). Stem cell cloning can be used for many

things including cloning extinct animals and being able to treat

many incurable diseases (The Ultimate Cure). Although stem cell

cloning is coming close to completion and causing a massive

breakthrough in the scientific community of genetics that will be

able to bring an end to the extinction of endangered species, it

is deadly to animals, costs a lot of money, and is unethical.

It is true that stem cell cloning is one of the greatest

discoveries of all time. The reason that stem cell cloning is one

of the greatest discoveries is because it allows humans to clone

living things and can be used medically. Stem Cell cloning can be

used to help treat numerous deadly diseases including cancer

(Health Reference Center). Scientists can cure many diseases with

the three types of stem cells: Totipotent, Pluripotent, and

multipotent stem cells (The Ultimate Cure). Each type of stem

cell plays an important role in medical studies. Totipotent cells

are used to create the pluripotent cells (Taber). The pluripotent

cells are used for skin grafts or can be used to make body parts

for amputees (Stem Cells). Pluripotent cells are perfect for

the roles of skin grafts and making body parts because they can

become any type of cell in the human body (Larson). Since

pluripotent cells can become any cell in the body, it allows them

to be made into body parts of humans for amputees (Poltorak).

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Multipotent cells are used for specific areas in the body that

are injured, usually a cancer patients treatment (The Ultimate

Cure). The reason multipotent cells are used for cancer patients

is because when they go through chemotherapy many of the

patients cells are lost. So, the multipotent cells help to

regenerate new cells in the patients body to replace the

cancerous cells that were once there (Stem Cell). Another thing

that stem cells can do, is they can be used to clone endangered

animals (Rugnetta and Peroski). Scientists can clone endangered

animals using the same process that is in the introduction.

Being able to clone endangered animals will help make extinction

a thing of the past.

However, cloning has many dangers to it, one of them being

deadly to animals. Rugnetta and Peroski argue that scientists can

clone animals that are endangered. The article An Aging Debate

says cloning can kill just as many animals that have been cloned

and more (An Aging Debate). There have been many cases

including the famous Dolly case in Scotland proving that cloning

is not safe. In the year 1996 Dolly the sheep was created using

stem cell cloning (Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep Passes). At

first it seemed like the experiment was successful, but three

years later something went wrong. It had appeared that Dolly was

aging before her time (An Aging Debate). Dolly was one of the
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first mammals to be cloned (Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep

Passes). She came from the DNA of a six- year old ewe (An Aging

Debate). Since Dolly was created, scientists have tried to guess

how old she was. Scientists think the reason for Dolly quickly

aging is because her telomeres are 20% shorter than other typical

three-year old lambs (Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep Passes).

Telomeres are what stabilize the chromosomes in each cell of the

body (An Aging Debate). Each time the cell divides, the

telomeres get shorter causing damage to happen to the DNA

(Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep Passes). When DNA is damaged, it

can cause diseases such as cancer (An Aging Debate). Shorter

telomeres can also mean quicker aging which explains why Dolly

was older than originally thought (Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep

Passes). The article An Aging Debate disproves Rugnetta and

Peroskis dream that cloning can defeat extinction. An Aging

Debate disproves them because cloning does the opposite of

saving animals, it kills them. Cloning kills animals because the

cloned animals age faster and are more prone to deadly diseases

than the original specimen (An Aging Debate). The process of

cloning also comes with the cost of a life. One of the main

ingredients in stem cell cloning is the actual stem cell, but

where do scientists get it? Todays Science says that scientists

get their stem cells from the baby embryos of animals (Stem
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Cells). The reason scientists need to get the stem cells from

the baby embryos is because they have pluripotent stem cells

(Taber). Pluripotent stem cells are typically used for the

process of cloning and can only be obtained while the embryo is

still forming (Larson). The only problem with taking stem cells

from an embryo is that it kills the embryo (Stem Cells). The

reason why taking stem cells away from the embryo kills it is

because the stem cells are what forms the embryos body to make it

an organism (Taber). So, when the stem cells are taken from the

embryo it will cease to grow and die (Stem Cells). The cost of

a life is not worth cloning another one that will not outlast the

lifespan of the embryo that could have lived. Another question

the Dolly incident brings up, is about treatments that use

pluripotent stem cells. What will happen to the amputees that use

the body parts made from stem cells? Will amputees also be at

risk of cancer or other deadly diseases? Will the body parts made

by cloning age faster than the amputee? These questions are what

is at risk when using the process of stem cell cloning.

In addition, another resource being wasted in the process of

stem cell cloning is money. Stem Cell cloning is an expensive

process. The reason cloning costs so much is because it takes

money and lives to obtain stem cells for cloning. Even though

there have been alternatives to pluripotent stem cells, it will

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still cost a fortune to research and figure out how they can be

used (Bai). Scientists have said they possibly could make stem

cells from human skin, but this is a work in progress (Taber).

The new way to get stem cells is still a work in progress because

it started in 2007 and still is not complete (Bai). It also costs

money to buy and provide electricity for the incubator in which

stem cells are kept to form into the desired creation. The thing

is that stem cell cloning is still in trial. Since stem cell

cloning is still not complete, it requires many experiments that

multiply the amount of money used, each time an experiment does

not output the desired results or fails. An article Stem Cells

and Stem Cell Transplants says even the treatments that use stem

cells are pricey, some costing up to 2000 dollars (Stem Cell

Transplants). 2000 dollars is a lot to spend on something with

serious risks. Also, people who invest their money in stem cell

research are not getting their moneys worth. It has been over 20

years since the first cloning of Dolly the sheep was made, and

cloning has still not been perfected (An Aging Debate). There

are better things that people could be investing their money in

instead of investing in stem cells which puts people at risk of

getting cancer. People could be spending their money in cancer

research to try to find an alternative cure other than these

dangerous stem cells. For people that need prosthetics, it would

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be great if there was a way to have real body parts to give them,

but it is dangerous. Instead of cloning body parts, people could

invest their money in the world of robotics. There have been many

advances in the world of technology that could allow people to

have robotic prosthetics that look natural, work, and are safe.

There is no reason why people should be spending all their time,

energy, and money into a flawed process. There are many other

solutions out there for medical problems other than stem cells.

Even if scientists can grasp the reigns of stem cell cloning, it

will still be draining money out of the governments pocket.

Finally, many people still feel that stem cell cloning is

unethical. The people who are mainly against stem cell cloning

are religious people. Religious people do not agree with cloning

because they feel that it is against God to create life. It is

also seen as unethical how scientists kill baby animals to get

their stem cells. Some people also dont like the idea of Stem

Cell Cloning because scientists have talked about using human

baby embryos for stem cells. Abortion is a huge problem in our

country, and many people have mixed feelings about it. Imagine if

stem cell cloning was deemed ok and scientists had assembly lines

of dead human embryos for stem cells. A cartoon perfectly

explains the relationship between humans and stem cells.

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Fig. 1. Stem Cells: Coyote Research. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, Accessed. 21 Mar. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/ancillarycontent/cartoons/s/ste

m-cells-coyote-research.aspx?q=coyote+research>.

In the cartoon, there is a kid and a coyote. The kid tells the

coyote that, scientists have figured out how to use stem cells

to cure diseases. The Coyote says, forget ethics I want these

cures for diseases. Then the kid tells the coyote that the

scientists are using coyote stem cells. After the kid tells the
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coyote that they are using coyote embryos for stem cells, the

coyote starts saying that, stem cells are a bad idea.

________________________________________________________________

Fig.1. A figure in a research paper

Coyote Research relates to humans against stem cell

cloning because when it is baby animals being sacrificed it is

ok, but if humans are being sacrificed that is not ok. The humans

represent the coyotes, and the animals represent the kid. The

cartoon is showing humans what it is like to be treated like an

animal. An example of this is when animals are being tested to

see if a product is safe for humans. The cartoon is trying to get

humans to think about what it is like to be the animal, always

being tested without consent. Also, many politicians are against

the idea of stem cell cloning. Politicians are against cloning

because the government is what funds these cloning experiments

while the government is 19 trillion dollars in debt. The cartoon

Cutting the Cord describes the relationship between politicians

and scientists.
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Source: Stem Cells: Cutting the Cord. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, Accessed. 21 Mar. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/ancillary-

content/cartoons/s/stem-cells-cutting-the-cord.aspx?

q=cutting+cord>.

The cartoon shown is called Cutting the cord. This cartoon

shows two scientists that have found out how stem cells can be

created from human skin. On the other side of the cartoon it

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shows an angry politician being mad because he no longer has an

argument against the scientists.

Fig. 2. A figure in a research paper

Once again the politician is mad because he does not want

the government to fund the scientists research. The reason why

the politician does not want the government to fund anything is

because of the 19-billion-dollar debt it has. Another reason why

stem cell cloning is unethical is because of all the things that

can go wrong with the process of cloning. Cloning does not work

100% of the time, and sometimes it results in the death of a

clone.

Even if the process of cloning is successful, there are

still many things that can happen. Some of the many things that

can happen with cloning include that the clone could age too

quickly and die (An Aging Debate). Also, the clone could get

diseases because their telomeres are to short causing damage to

the DNA which will lead to cancer (An Aging Debate). In

conclusion, stem cell cloning is still a work in progress.

Cloning is too deadly, costly, and controversial to continue

working on it.
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Work Cited

An Aging Debate: The Risks of Cloning. Today's Science.

Infobase Learning, Sept. 1999. Accessed. 22 Mar. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=15094>.

Bai, Nina Yu Human Stem Cells: No Embryos Required. Today's

Science. Infobase Learning, Dec. 2007. Accessed. 25 Mar.

2017. <http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=16908>.

Cloning: The Fountain of Youth?. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, June 2000. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=15716>.

Goodbye, Dolly: Cloned Sheep Passes. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, Feb. 2003. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=16667>.
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Larson, Chris. Disease Stem Cells on Demand. Today's Science.

Infobase Learning, Aug. 2008. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=15996>.

Poltorak, Katya. Human Stem Cells Made by Cloning. Today's

Science. Infobase Learning, July 2013. Accessed. 7 Mar.

2017. <http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=28258>.

Rugnetta, Michael, and Michael Peroski. "Stem Cell Research

Should Be Federally Funded." Human Embryo Experimentation,

edited by Christine Watkins, Greenhaven Press, 2011. At

Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed. 19 Mar.

2017. <galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010155231/OVIC?

u=monr27762&xid=d297410f>.

Stem Cell. Health Reference Center. Facts on File, 2016.

Accessed. 19 Mar. 2017.

<http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/389741?q=stem

%20cell>.

"Stem Cells." Health Reference Center. National Institutions of

Health, Mar. 2017. Accessed. 21 Mar. 2017.

<http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/JournalArticle/11?

extarticleId=143&sourceId=1&q=stem%20cells>.
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Stem Cells and Stem Cell Transplants. The Encyclopedia of

Mens Reproductive Cancer. Facts on File, 2016. Accessed. 21

Mar. 2017.

<http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/114614?q=stem

%20cells%20and%20stem%20cell%20transplants>.

Stem Cells: Coyote Research. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, Accessed. 21 Mar. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/ancillary-

content/cartoons/s/stem-cells-coyote-research.aspx?

q=coyote+research>.

Stem Cells: Cutting the Cord. Today's Science. Infobase

Learning, Accessed. 21 Mar. 2017.

<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/ancillary-

content/cartoons/s/stem-cells-cutting-the-cord.aspx?

q=cutting+cord>.

Stem Cells: The Ultimate Cure? Health Reference Center. Chelsea

House, 2008.Accessed. 19 Mar. 2017.

<http://online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/396755?q=the

%20ultimate%20cure>.

Taber, Sarah. From Skin Cell to Stem Cell. Today's Science.

Infobase Learning, Oct. 2005. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

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<http://tsof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?

wid=16146&ID=16515>.