Technological and Ethical Concerns of Cloning

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Before the discovery of Deoxyribonucleic acid, what scientists consider genotype and phenotype, or respectively innate and observable traits, inheritable traits were thought to be encoded by proteins. However, with the discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and the understanding of its structure by Watson and Crick, the possibilities of cloning and even altering DNA become reality. Most notably, the successful cloning of a sheep, popularly known as Dolly, poses questions of what constitutes ethical standards of genetic alteration and copying. Stem cell research, which aims to fulfill purposes such as organ replacement without need of immunosuppressants, also becomes debatable with advancing technology. Known as Moore’s law, technology doubles in computational capacity every two years. Given that DNA is read through a electronic sequencer, new discoveries and advancement of electronics adds complexity to bioethics most important question: Should genetic material be replicated or mutated, then reinserted into living cells? While the theoretical and practical implications of cloning are feasible for improving the human condition, major technological and bioethical issues must be taken into consideration before advancement and application of cloning technology are furthered.
Bioethics concerning DNA, while seemingly appears to be concerned with issues of genetic engineering, is actually concerned with a very unscientific question: Should humans play the role of self-creator? For example, the use of stem cells, even those of adult or non-embryonic stem cells, have been cited a ethically complex. Insoo Huyn of Case Western Reserve University notes that embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate into any type of hum...

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