cloning Flashcards
What is cloning?
Cloning is the process of creating a genetically identical copy of an organism or biological material (e.g., tissue). The organism produced is called a clone.
When does cloning occur naturally?
Cloning occurs naturally during asexual reproduction, self-pollination in plants, or the formation of identical twins from a single zygote.
How is cloning done using biotechnology?
Biotechnology allows cloning to produce an exact copy of an organism from which a body cell (such as a mammary gland or ear cell) is taken.
What is a famous example of a cloned animal?
Dolly the sheep, who was the first cloned mammal using an adult cell, was cloned in July 1996.
What is the first cloned animal in South Africa?
Futhi the cow, cloned in April 2003 using a cell from the ear of a prize-winning dairy cow, was the first cloned animal in South Africa.
How is cloning different from IVF (in vitro fertilization)?
IVF is not cloning because it involves sperm and egg from two parents, resulting in an embryo that is genetically different from both parents. Cloning creates an organism identical to the original.
What are some advantages of cloning?
Therapeutic cloning can replace damaged tissue (e.g., skin, heart cells, bone marrow).
Genetic diseases could be prevented.
Superior animals may be bred to improve food supply and quality.
Research in cloning can lead to other helpful technologies.
What is therapeutic cloning?
Therapeutic cloning is a process where cloning is used to replace damaged tissue, such as growing new skin or heart cells, which can save lives.
Can cloning improve animals for food production?
Yes, cloning superior animals can help improve the quality and supply of food by breeding animals with desirable traits
Describe the process of cloning a sheep.
A body cell from a superior sheep (Sheep A) is collected.
An egg cell from a different sheep (Sheep B) is taken, and its nucleus is removed.
The nucleus from Sheep A’s cell is inserted into the egg cell from Sheep B.
The egg is shocked to start dividing and develop into an embryo.
The embryo is placed in a surrogate sheep (Sheep C), where it grows into a lamb identical to Sheep A.
