Cloning Information

Cloning

Cloning is when there is an exact replica created of a living object, they are the same genetic makeup of the original object. Identical twin are natural clones. A couple of ways to make a clone is by using "artificial embryo twinning" or "somatic cell nuclear transfer".

Artificial embryo twinning: Is a low-tech type of cloning. Recreates the process in creating natural identical twins. Twins are born when the zygote divides into two cells. Thus, the two cells are identical resulting in identical twins. When scientists replicate the process it is completely the same except it is done in a Petri dish.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT): The method that was used to create Dolly the Sheep, a clone of a sheep.

SCNT stands for:

Somatic Cell- Any cell that is not a germ cell. Each somatic cell has two sets of chromosomes, germ cells only have one.

Nuclear- Nucleus, the brain of the cell. The nucleus contains all needed information to create an organism, this information is DNA. Every one besides identical twins have different DNA.

Transfer-When an object gets moved from one place to a different place.

Dolly:

Dolly the Sheep the first to ever be cloned from any adult somatic cell from a mammal. Dolly was created when scientists removed a somatic cell from a female adult sheep. Then the nucleus of the somatic cell was transferred to an egg cell that the nucleus had been removed from. The scientists did a few minor chemical changes so that the zygote would fertilize like a normal zygote. Once it had developed into an embryo it was placed in a surrogate mother and was carried in the surrogate mother until end of term.

Natural vs. Science

In natural fertilization each germ cell carries one full set of chromosomes. But in artificial fertilization the the original set of chromosomes is taken out and the nucleus from a somatic cell is put in its place.