X-Message-Number: 8451
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 08:37:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: John K Clark <>
Subject: Cloned Adults

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In #8448  Thomas Donaldson <> On Sat, 9 Aug 1997 Wrote:
               

        >At least among cryonicists I've not seen anyone with moral problems
                >about cloning.
                

I certainly have no moral problem with it.
                


        >As for the news report, it may not be good data. As I understand it,
        
        >the cells to be cloned were taken from embryos --- unlike Dolly, who
                >was created from the cells of an adult sheep.
                    

According to The New York Times the company has 10 clones from adults and 50  
made of cells donated from embryos ready to be born in the next few days.  
It's true that in the adult clones they did insert an intermediate step,  

making a very primitive fetus from the adult cells and then cloning from that,
but it's just a technical point. The company knew that it's easy to make a  
clone from a fetus and it's easy to get even an adult cell to divide a few  
time, so they decided to do both and trick the adult cell into thinking it  
was part of a fetus. The early "fetus" had only divided 2 or 3 times from the  
egg stage and the resulting clone is still genetically identical to the adult 
animal, except for the mitochondrial DNA of course. 
                    
After the animals are born they will have to be examined to be certain that  
they really are clones and that there was not some sort of mix up, but I  
think it's looking very encouraging.           

                                             John K Clark     

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