The ethical controversy over cloning is consistently debated among researchers. Reproductive cloning is a technology used to generate a “ copy” of a previously existing animal containing the same nuclear DNA as the original. When the media report on cloning in the news, they are usually talking about only one type called reproductive cloning. You may remember the much celebrated sheep “Dolly” the first mammal to be cloned from adult DNA and the amount of interest and concern because of its scientific and ethical implications. This feat, considered as the largest breakthrough in 1997, also generated uncertainty over the meaning of “cloning”, an umbrella term traditionally used by scientist to described different proceess for duplicating biological material. There are different types of cloning however, and cloning technologies can be used for other purposes besides producing the genetic twin of another organism. A basic understanding of the different types of cloning is key to taking an informed stance on current public policy issues and making the best possible personal decisions. I will briefly discuss the following three types of cloning technologies: (1) recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning, (2) reproductive cloning, and (3) therapeutic cloning.
As mentioned before there are three types of cloning technologies. The first I will discuss is recombinant DNA technology. The following terms; "recombinant DNA technology," "DNA cloning," "molecular cloning," and "gene cloning" all refer to the same process: the transfer of a DNA fragment of interest from one organism to a self-replicating genetic element such as a bacterial plasmid.
To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same type of enzymes. When the fragment of chromosomal DNA is joined with its cloning vector in the lab, it is called a "recombinant DNA...