Simply put, cloning is making an exact copy of a plant or animal. Scientists can also create clones in the lab. How do they do it, and what plants and animals will they clone in the future?
When and How Did Scientists Start Cloning?
If you cut off a small piece of a plant and put it in water, you can grow a new plant that has the same DNA as the original plant. Farmers gave used this method of cloning for centuries to make copies of their best plants.
Scientists cloned the first animal-a sea urchin-in 1885. Since then, scientists have cloned many other animals, like frogs, cows, goats, sheep, and dogs. What animals will we clone next?
Is It Possible to Clone Humans?
There are two kinds of human cloning. One kind uses stem cells. Scientists hope to use them to grow new organs for sick people. Another type of cloning makes copies of humans. Many people think is a bad idea. They worry that scientists will clone people and take their organs to give them to sick people. That would be cruel. Another problem is that cloning is risky. Many cloned animals don’t survive because they have serious health problems. For these reasons, scientists may never clone humans.
Can We Clone Dinosaurs?
In 2009, scientists in Spain cloned a mountain goat that had been extinct for nine years. This showed that it’s possible to clone extinct for nine years. This showed that it’s possible to clone extinct animals. To clone a dinosaur, scientists need a DNA sample that is complete and undamaged. The problem is that there isn’t enough dinosaur DNA. However, it may be possible to clone a wooly mammoth, which became extinct around 4,000 years ago. Many frozen mammoths have been found, and scientists have collected their DNA. The DNA isn’t perfect, but some scientists think they can reconstruct it. Other scientist are skeptical. Whatever happens, the future of cloning will be exciting.