How Cloning Is Done : Timeline

How Cloning Is Done :

There arc several different methods for creating a genetic duplicate of an original organism. most of which are -Jnations on the same technique. hut scientists racing to discover new

 

 methods or to perfect the old ones are very protective of the details of how they work. In the past, the most widely used method of cloning wasm to take a cell from a developing organism, or cmbr. before the cells had become differentiated. The process is, in essence, using an artificial method o create twins the same way the would occur naruralfr The most important step is to divide the cells before they have become differentiated. Once a cell s differentiated, it Is on Its way to becoming a certain type of cell. such as blood or skin. BefOre then, however, each cell has the potential to create an entire organism. Cells thatare not yet differentiated are called totipotent cells, while those that have become differentiated are called somatic. The modern cloning method that has received the most attention in recent years is known as somatic cell nuclear translerThe process involves removing the nucleus of a somatic cell and using that nucleus to replace the

nucleus of an egg cell, or ovum The resulting embryo will he, genetically, the same a.s the organism that provided the somatic cell nuclcus.That embryo can then be implanted into the uterus of an animal that will later give birth to it. or it can be grown in a laboratory cloning does not have to result in an entire animal. In
many cases, cloning is used to create a cell liner which isthe result of cloning individual cells.This can be used to produce substances that are beneficial to humans, such as insulin. Much of the work being done in this area is not exactly cloning but is genetic engineering.