B14 Flashcards
What is a modern method of cloning plants?
Through the use of a tissue culture, where you use a mixture of plant hormones to make a small group of cells from the plant you want to clone. Then it produces a mass of identical plant cells and you can stimulate each of these cells to form a new plant.
How can you clone an animal?
Give fertility hormones to a cow so she produces many eggs, fertilise the eggs using sperm from a bull. Collect these eggs and as in early stages, every vell of the embryo can still form all of the cells needed for a new cow as the cells have not become specialised. These can then be split apart and transplanted into host mothers for them to give birth.
How can you clone an adult cell?
The nucleus is removed from an unfertilised egg cell, at the same time the nucleus is taken from an adult body cell. The nucleus from the adult cell is inserted in the empty egg cell. The new egg cell is given a tiny electric shock, giving it the stimulation to start dividing to form embryo cells. When the embryo has developed into a ball of cells, it is inserted into the womb of an adult female to continue its development.
What are the benefits of genetic engineering?
There are improved growth rates of plants and animals, increased food value of crops, crops can be designed to grow in hot or colder conditions and crops can be engineered to produce plants that make their own pesticides.
