The world’s first pet cloning service is to offer animal lovers the chance to recreate their dead companions, it was announced today. South Korean company RNL Bio will work alongside scientists who created the first cloned canine. A company spokeswoman said it was already working on its first order from an American who wanted a clone of her dead pit bull. The client, Bernann McKunney, of California, was very attached to the pet because it had saved her life during an attack by another dog.
Kim Yoon said that ear tissue from the dog had been preserved at a US biotech laboratory before its death. DNA from the sample could now be used in an attempt to create a clone, she said, although the chances of success were about 25%. RNL Bio is charging customers $150,000 (£75,000) for the clones, which clients pay only after they receive their new pet. The cloning is to be carried out by Seoul National University scientists led by Dr Lee Byeong-chun, a veterinary professor. Prof Lee had worked with the disgraced stem cell scientist Dr Hwang Woo-suk, whose purported breakthroughs in the creation of human stem cells through cloning had been faked. The team’s success in cloning the world’s first dog, Snuppy, in 2005, has been confirmed. Lee was suspended from his university for three months over the stem cell scandal. He has been on trial, along with Hwang, on charges of misappropriating research funds. Today, Lee confirmed the university’s animal cloning clinic would work on the project, but he refused to elaborate. RNL Bio plans to focus on cloning not only pets, but also specially trained dogs such as those used to sniff out explosives.
The whole idea of this is just creepy to me. If it hasn’t been tried already, you just know where this will lead.
Whats creepy about this?
Is this more or less creepy than nanotechnology and why?
Some show or news item said they can’t clone a perfect calico cat–the spots are purely genetically driven, but dogs and other cats are good to go.
This is far preferable to many other scenario’s a la germ warfare of course, genetic experimentation on high schooler’s home desk (coming within a decade or so) and of course any organized efforts of responsible medicine a la “I am Legend.”
I’d rather see a nation full of Marilyn Monroe’s and Elvis’s than see ourselves wiped out by our own garbage and excrement (aka carbon dioxide, aka human caused global warming.)
Re post #1–spots are NOT purely genetically driven but get expressed as influenced by environment.
The discussion would make more sense if it didn’t always begin with someone using the phrase “playing God”. It’s both meaningless, and loaded. If you allow it, you’re conceding some points right at the start: God exists, some knowledge is supposed to be his alone, any attempt on our part to gain that knowledge is somehow childlike and inappropriate.
It’s also just a really tiresome cliche that the media people reflexively insert into any story on cloning, stem cells, or euthanasia.
I was just watching This American Life Showtime tv show about this guy who had a really tame bull that he let hang out in his front yard at his ranch. He became rather famous with this bull that he went on David Letterman and on tours. Eventually the bull died. He had his bull cloned by a university in Texas. Long horn short the bull knocked him loose a couple times. Interesting fact about the story was that his bull first he received after it was 7 yrs old. The second one injured him around 4 yrs old. People think cloned means Everything.
#3–I agree the expression is a bit worn, but it is THE standard way to talk about such issues as you confirm, so an issue of style and preference as we do all know what the relevant issue being touched on–should man do this as a moral issue.
Now, can you explain how something can be meaningless and loaded at the same time? Isn’t the meaning the loadedness? I think so.
So, it is also meaningless to nit pick at terminology when what is being addressed raises so many meaningfull issues. Why do you make a post and not make a single one?
I only JUST noticed it, but look at all the assholes behind the asshole.
#1 is just plain naive – he said: Whats creepy about this?
I’ll tell you what’s creepy. The media is playing down the thousands of destroyed cloned animals that had too many limbs, or not enough.
If an animal is derived from a single cloned adult cell, one is putting all their faith on the reliability of a single cell. Over generations certain mistakes from this original cell can further mutate and could prove fatal to the animal. Worse yet, these progressive mutations may result in an increased susceptibility to infectious disease and cancer, and even greater propensity to form the wrong proteins, such as the ones that cause mad cow disease (it is contagious though it is not a living organism, but caused by malformed proteins).
Not to mention, any mechanical process is prone to errors and failure, and sucking up DNA from one cell and injecting it into another is far from an elegant or efficient method, with disastrous implications. There is a great potential for physical disruption, which would result in catastrophic changes to DNA and its ability to control cell function normally. This could perhaps explain the 98% cloning failure rate, as most embryos fail to even divide, let alone make it to full term. Even with normally appearing animals, some early mutations in the cloning process could manifest themselves later on, with successive mutations over time in the cloned animal and its offspring.
That is what’s creepy
#6. Yeah bobbo, like I said……creepy.
People who want to clone their pet are kidding themselves. Sure you can have the same nature but never be able to replicate the same nurture. Genetics are only one part of the puzzle. There is also the upbringing of a creature. That isn’t even mentioning all the things that can happen to a mother during pregnancy that can have an impact on the offspring (and even clones have to be carried to term by a female).
You ain’t going to get what you think you are going to get by cloning someone.
Now, DNA strands deteriorate over repeated replication over the lifespan of an organism. This is of the many reasons why cloned animals have demonstrated remarkably shorter life span than their natural genetic donors. Frankly, I don’t see the trouble with buying a new poppy. It’ll live longer.
This is probably inevitable with the beefits available. Just like the movie The Island, people will be able to grow clones of themselves whose organs can be used, discarding the large 6 foot lump of cells when you’re done.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
That is one freaky picture!
I hate the idea of cloning now!
#8–McCullough–isn’t it still true that a picture is worth a thousand words?
A world full of Marilyn’s and Elvi’s does not bother me, but as usual, I miss-take the GOUSA public. Yea, a world full of Bushies or jbenson’s–that would be creepy.
Lets put the nation on CODE ORANGE and put a few scientists in jail just to warn them.
Golly gee. I don’t know any dogs dumb enough to require a god.
#7, that’s why this will first be limited to more totalitarian governments where the population can’t resist and can be left in the dark, but it’ll be in all countries soon enough. The big biotech companies took the long view and made sure that this type of research is protected, getting liberals to go along by pretending the issue was abortion.
#13 said A world full of Marilyn’s and Elvi’s does not bother me
That might apply to you and the uneducated, but for the people that know a bit about the science of cloning and DNA replication – they will certainly disagree with your idea of never-never land.
Do you really want a world full of 3 legged Marilyns and cancer-loaded Elvis’?
The current method of cloning is so primitive that we won’t in our lifetimes see any real results outside of animals.
So to start slppery slope fallaciousness about the monroes and elvises is foolish.
We really don’t need cloning of humans as we now can work on an easier line, stem cells and total cellular regeneration. Barring any major trauma that snuffs you out or destroys the cells to such a point that regeneration could not take place fast enough; stem cells will lengthen the quality and quantity of human life.
Of course then we will be faced with the choice of how long we should extend our lives. I would say 150-200 years should be long enough before we get to the point of we have REALLY seen it all and done it all.
Cloning is will meet an end the same way zepplins did as tools of war, wireless telegraphs and 78rpm discs for music.
Cursor_
So if George has already served two terms, can his clone run for president?
Send in the Clones(clowns)…Opps, already here.
Why don’t they clone endangered species or extinct species like the dodo or something? That would be good.
Ok, As a near troll, I think I’m getting a clearer picture of bobbos’ agenda. MikeN is a frustrated idiot who thinks there’s a difference between “liberals” and repugnants..there ain’t dude,we’s all in da same boat but, we gotta get bobbo over there paddlin’ wit’ the rest a us. Offer him some big bucks so’s he know’s we’s alla same in Ameirka..
Some days, I just gotta wonder about this stuff.
I can’t believe nobody brought up Re-Pet from the Governator’s “The Sixth Day”.
Never saw it. Something new to rent now…
How will the lady know the dog she gets is her clone and not a random pit bull puppy? There isn’t exactly a lot of variation in pit bulls. I used to have a gray tabby cat and I often wondered if I could pick her out of a room full of gray tabbies.
I think I just found a great way to make a quick $20 grand.
You don’t get the same animal when you spend your $ for a clone. All you get is a slightly less robust twin. The same as having a twin brother, for eample. Those you can get for free. Even a cloned animal will show different colorations when that is determined randomly.
RBG
#23–DeLeMa==agenda? Its pretty clear. I want to clone Marilyn Monroe. My own taste would run to the brunettes like Tea Leoni or Elizabeth Hurley, but I used Marilyn as more commonly known.
“Actually” if I could clone anybody, I would clone myself. Not for parts–but to see what raising a kid in a different environment would do? I would be the control group and the experimental variables. Life would probably still turn out to suck, but maybe I could motivate mygeneticself to learn selling short in the stock market? I have always wished I had heard of such a thing earlier in my life.
rosie@triad29.com
rosieponder@verizon.net
Not only do they try to rip you off, they send your email out and you get a ton of junk mail.