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Japanese
scientists were able to clone mice that had been frozen for at least
sixteen years. Now these scientists think they may be able to do
the same to bring back other extinct animals. Mammoths would work
best because there have been many of them found preserved in ice.
Teruhiko
Wakayama, the scientist who cloned the mice, was able to clone
them even though their cells had burst. So, they should be able
to also clone extinct animals that have been conserved in ice for a
longer period of time.
Wakayama
used the classic nuclear transfer technique. This is when the
nucleus of a cell, other than a germ cell, is removed and put into an
unfertilized egg that has had its nucleus taken out. The egg
divides and then becomes an embryo. The embryo is placed in a surrogate
mother and begins to develop.
When
Wakayama and the other scientists who worked with him cloned the mice,
they used cells from the brain because they found that those cells
worked best. This was surprising because there has never been a
mouse cloned using a brain cell before.
Cloning
has been a controversial topic. It is very expensive and more
than 90% of the time it does not work when attempted. Animals
that have been cloned are more likely to get disorders and other
illnesses. They also usually die early.
Biology
teacher Kellie Dean said,
“Although there are ethical concerns (mostly stemming from
different religious views) about cloning, in particular - human
cloning, there are potential benefits to cloning as
well.”
These
benefits are farmers being able to produce better crops and raise
animals that give us better products, such as cows that give better
quality milk and chickens that give better quality eggs.
“I
would also agree that cloning extinct animals could benefit scientists
and researchers. However…clones have identical DNA, but not
necessarily the same personality, because much of who you are
comes from your past experiences and how you were raised,” said
Dean.
--Submitted by Lauren
Gestes, Staff Reporter
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