Cloning

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Cloning, as of recent years, has become a very controversial issue. Society is firmly divided on the uses and ethics of cloning. Cloning can rang from producing copies of plants and animals to clones of humans and human organs. But cloning can have several positive effects for the well being of society. Cloning plants can have positive effects fo humans. Scientist can clone plants and alter them to produce healthier food. For example, oranges which contain an abundance of Vitamin C, can be altered to include Vitamin D and Calcium, which is found amply in milk. Cloning can also improve the status of hunger-stricken Third World nations. Fruits and vegetables can be cloned to produce large amounts of food without have to worry about growing season, climate, or any other environmental factor. They can also be alterd to be able to be grown in different environments or to produce more food and for a longer period of time. Cloning animals can have several ramifications. Foremost, is the benfit of humans. This can be done in two ways. First, cloning animals can help us understand the way our cellss divide, multiply and operate. We can also learn how to fix ceratin disorders, thus leading to tests and research in similar human disorders. For example, sheep have a disease of the brain, called Scrapie, that causes tremors, loss of motion, and eventually death. This disease is very similar to the human disease called Parkinson’s disease. Scientists can try to stimulate new brain cells to divide and regrow damaged areas in the sheep brain first and then try similar procedures for humans. Animal cloning can also lead to better production of food. Ranchers can take one cow, the best out of the whole stock, and clone it. This would improve his sales and our health because we are given a healthier product. Endangered animals can also benefit from animal cloning. For instance, instead of doing lab monitored pregnancies and artificial inseminations for endangered animals, scientists can clone several embryos for the healthiest animal of that species. Working the way up the evolutionary scale leads eventually to cloning human organs and ultimately humans. This is the most controversial area of cloning, but despite the controversy, cloning of human organs and also humans can have some positive effects. To illustrate, kidney tissue can be used to grow a healthy kidney for patients with frequent kidney failures.

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