Dolly Clonic Sheep

1997/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Biologia
• Genetika

The squirrel named after the doll has given much to say lately, as it is at least our first clonic mammal born alive. That is, Dolly is an animal that has been born without the genetic information of another animal and without the union of the male sperm with the female's oculus.

To achieve this, after years of research, a group of scientists took the nucleus of a cell of a sheep, introduced it into the nucleus of another cell and finally implanted it in the womb of a third sheep, in which three sheep have participated, so the Dolly squirrel is brought to life. The sheep that is born and that which has given the core are the clones. However, Dolly is not a perfect clone, since in addition to the nucleus there is genetic information in the mitochondria of the annucleated egg.

This fact has generated a great scandal in different areas and has recalled the stories that appear in fiction novels and films. The danger of creating armies of clonic beings or cloned beings for special tasks has been stressed.

I am not going to position myself in any case in favor of human cloning, but in order to ward off the fears that are being raised, I would like to give some clarifications, since the scientists who have assimilated the importance of this fact to that of the atomic bomb have not been few, taking as followers of Mengele the scientists who have achieved cloning.

First of all, it must be made clear that the difference between animal cloning and human cloning is very great, exactly the same that exists between experiments carried out with animals and those carried out with humans, since the frequent death of animals in laboratories makes no one dare to say that soon humans will also die. In any case, just in case, it seems good to me that the cloning of human beings is ethically bad and that, as the authorities signed before at the summit of Oviedo, contrary norms are imposed.

On the other hand, we must not forget that research on gene manipulation has helped find and sometimes cure diseases such as AIDS or cancer, which allows us to see closer today. It would be necessary to see if the attitude of those who are now opposed to genetic manipulation was a way of treating the serious diseases suffered by the same or their relatives.

Among the denunciations made, on the other hand, it has been affirmed that with cloning man has intervened directly in the evolution of nature, emphasizing that this is the work of God. It must be remembered that for a long time human beings are participating in the evolution of nature, so it is not a question of this morning; for a long time have been selected the cows that give more milk artificially, the hens that lay more eggs or pigs that give better meat and have destroyed subspecies and less fertile breeds.

To finish I don't want to give ideas to anyone, but to form controlled groups there is a simpler way than cloning. It would be enough to rent hundreds of females, germinate naturally and educate the children in a special discipline. It should be noted that at birth the human brain is an unwritten role and that to complete the personality of the human being, in addition to the genetic endowment, they have much to see the events that occur throughout life, which are the ones that determine the relationships between neurons (synapses).