Have you ever wanted to “reinvent” yourself? You may yet get your chance, without having to resort to changing your diet or even hitting the gym more often. Recent advancements in the science of cloning could make it possible to create a “new you.”
The Oregon National Primate Research Center announced this week that they have successfully created the world’s first cloned monkey embryo. The center was also able to extract living stem cells from the embryo, leading to speculation that this technology could quickly develop into a cure for many genetic diseases, as well as growing organs such as kidneys, liver and pancreas for those waiting for a transplant. It could even bring the idea of developing a “carbon copy” of a human being one step closer to reality.
Image courtesy of Oregon Health & Science Univ.
While there is still much research to be done, and a plethora of ethical dilemmas to wrangle with, this newest advancement in the field of genetic research holds out hope for millions. Over the past few decades, cloning research has moved slowly and cautiously. But this newest breakthrough by the Oregon National Primate Research Center is being called a major step forward in the science of cloning.
This is the first time a primate has been cloned using the same technique that led to the first cloned animal — Dolly the sheep. Until the success of this recent project, there was widespread skepticism that a primate could be cloned using this same technique, known as “nuclear transfer.”
Because a monkey’s DNA is nearly identical to that of humans, many experts see the jump from cloning monkeys to humans as minuscule. Of course the next challenge facing researchers is to find out if the same “nuclear transfer” technique can successfully clone human cells as well.
If the process of cloning embryonic stem cells turns out to be practical and is successful on human cells, researchers may be able to cure many genetic based diseases that are currently incurable. As the source of every single cell and organ in the body, stem cells have incredible potential to repair damaged tissue, re-grow damaged or diseased internal organs, and help cure genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Of course there is still real concern over the ethical use of stem cell cloning, and these debates are likely to rage on into the foreseeable future. And while researchers almost unanimously see enormous potential to cure pain and suffering and help individuals lead better lives through stem cell and cloning research, there are many ethical dilemmas that must be addressed. In the end, societies will have to weigh the pros and cons of this research to determine if and how cloning and stem cell replication should take place.
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GMO or the Genetically Modified Organisms are the types of food and animals that were altered genetically to develop useful traits that organic creatures do not have. By genetically modifying the plants and animals, you can have stronger and more human-friendly plants and animals than the naturally grown organisms. They are naturally immune to pests, and other undesirable plants are extinguished by the mere presence of these plants. A common example of the Genetically Modified Organisms are the GloFish, you know, fishes that glow.
The GloFish were developed in the lab and certain changes were made in their DNA and the end result is the cute fish and seahorses that glow! For the plants, most of the cottons that are grown in this country are genetically modified. Sometimes referred to as the FrankenCotton, these cottons are immune to any pests and you need to do is to wait for them to grow. The oils that are extracted from the seeds are used in most of the preservatives on the foods that we have today. You can find them in cookies, peanut butter and cooking oils. Soybeans are also the target of modification where almost 85% of them are now genetically modified.
It’s great that these things were developed. Take a look at the expenses that you need before you can actually get a crop that you really want. With modified plants (also referred to as the “bt” breeds) you don’t need to spend so much money in herbicides especially because of their resistance to any attacks. Thereby giving us more savings and more production, thus more money.
Genetically Modified Organisms look really promising if we take at look at them on the financial sides. However, debates have been going on for years. It’s quite unfortunate that it’s not really on the public eye anymore since people need to be really aware of medical side effects of the Genetically Modified Organisms.
Those who back the GMO say that there are no known side effects to the body even if we eat them as much as we can. That’s basically the point of argument. We don’t know what effects that will bring. Not knowing what the effect of these plants is basically the scary part about these organisms. Since they are modified, they should have some modifications on the way they will act in our body. Besides, these plants are blasted with chemicals, you can say it’s already a composite of chemicals becoming a soybean or cotton.
We can say that we’re lucky considering that only soybean and cotton are the known GMOs here in the States, but in other countries it’s even scarier. Corn and Rice are being pushed to the people as they starve. This is very dangerous in some places that have rice as their staple food.
Still, it’s quite unfortunate that we already have these organisms in our tables almost everyday. The best thing that we can do so far is to locate a local organic market and get most of the foods that we need. Until the long term effect of GMOs are shed to light, we need to be on a look out for the foods that we eat.
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