Science Freaky! Clones Created From Stem Cells

By Jess

Its science fiction time, friends!

A small lab in California claims to have cloned the embryos of two men, making it the “first documented demonstration that ordinary cells from an adult human can be used to make cloned embryos mature enough to produce stem cells”.

Although the lab says it destroyed the embryos after 5 days, they insist they have all their records and assure the public that the tests were performed numerous times. Experts have supposedly acted very “coolly” to this announcement, partly because of a clone hoax executed by Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk a few years back, and partly because the creation of cloned embryos has happened before. The big announcement, researchers agree, would be if a new stem cell line has been created.

Supporters of stem cell cloning say this new development will allow for treatment of certain diseases and possible “transplant material for conditions like diabetes and Parkinson’s”, while protestors don’t like the idea of scientists creating life and then destroying that life in labs.

Even though science has never been my thing (how many times did I fall asleep in Chemistry 105? Uncountable), the idea of cloning stem cells sounds both exciting and pretty freaking scary. The curing of deadly diseases? Good. The possible reproduction (as in, someone with the exact same face, body, and genetic make-up as their donor) of human life inside a Petri dish? Weird.

Unless they decide to start cloning Brad Pitt and Jake Gyllenhaal.

That would be fine.