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cloning

Can Stem Cells Make Sperm?
News

If We Can Make Sperm, What Good Are Men?

Have you ever dreamed of a world without men?
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Have you ever dreamed of a world without men? Some scientists have hoped for years that someday, somehow, they'd create sperm without the mess and fuss of sex and men. Well, that day is near.

Or here, according to one professor at the Northeast England Stem Cell Institute, who says he's doctored up the world's first embryotic sperm. Other sperm specialists (their mothers must be proud) are not so convinced test-tube sperm are up for the swim. Azim Surani, a professor at Cambridge University, said they were "sperm-like cells" and "a long way from being authentic."

So we wait and ask questions, like "what's the point?" Ideally, it would be used to treat infertile men, but you can't clone cells in 2009 and not answer questions like "Are you trying to wipe men off the face of the Earth?" The Guardian has a pair of he-said/she-said pieces musing on such a world without men. He said? You'll be bored, less productive, and too clean. And she said? We'd be peaceful, clean, and . . . bored. Glad we can agree on something!

Photo by Flickr User blmurch

The Scoop: Trakr's Cute Clones Make Their Debut!
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The Scoop: Trakr's Cute Clones Make Their Debut!

In no particular order meet Trustt, Solace, Prodigy, Valor, and Dejavu.
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In no particular order meet Trustt, Solace, Prodigy, Valor, and Dejavu. How cute (and sleepy) they are! This unconventional new puppy alert features five German Shepherd dogs recently cloned in South Korea and making a press debut yesterday in LA.

If you've forgotten, Trakr was a hero dog working after the 2001 terror strikes on the World Trade Center and we first learned of his most "clone-worthy" status and future procedure last Summer. Even if you wouldn't pay to clone your own pet, I can't see anything wrong with adding five future heroes to the world, can you?

View 15 Photos ›

See more pictures with Trakr's owner, the cloning docs and of course puppies being puppies when you read more

South Korea Clones Dogs With Fluorescent Protein That Makes Them Glow Red
Dogs

What's Your Take: Korea Clones Glow-in-the-Dark Doggies?

It seems that Korea just can't get enough of cloning, and this time it includes sea anemones and beagles.
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It seems that Korea just can't get enough of cloning, and this time it includes sea anemones and beagles. What does one have to do with the other, you ask? Normally nothing, but recently scientists have incorporated a glowing protein into a set of cloned beagles that makes them glow under infrared light. Not only does it make for an interesting (albeit creepy-looking) combo, but it also proves that you can insert specific genes into an animal, even if it's not from their own species.

This video I caught on AP, shows why the scientists engineered the beagles with the protein in the first place. Check it out, then tell me if you think this advancement is for the best . . . or for the worst.

Controversial Doctor Says Human Cloning Is Coming . . . Soon
fertility

Controversial Doctor Says Human Cloning Is Coming . . . Soon

This story really freaks me out.
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This story really freaks me out. Doctor Panayiotis Zavos claims that he has transfered cloned embryos into four women who had agreed to give birth to cloned humans. While his work hasn't ended in any viable pregnancies, Dr. Zavos isn't stopping.

The Gilbert Gottfried look-a-like (clone?) is doing his work in the Middle East, some speculate, because it's illegal to attempt to clone humans everywhere else. He is determined to succeed, and there are many people who are willing to pay for his services. Zavos thinks he can create the first cloned human within two years.

The doctor also admits that he has cloned the cells of three dead people, which he didn't implant into anyone. For example, the frozen cells of Cady, who died in a car accident at age 10, were sent to Zavos. To create embryos he fused Cady's cells with cow eggs that had their own genetic material removed.

I hope we never see the day when parents can clone their dead children, or when any human can be cloned for that matter.

Do you think we should do everything we can to stop science from moving forward with human cloning, or am I just being close minded?

The Scoop: First Cloned Pet Dogs Make Their Debut in Korea!
Dogs

The Scoop: First Cloned Pet Dogs Make Their Debut in Korea!

Even if you're not totally on board with the pet cloning idea, you'd have to have a cold, cold heart not to at least melt at these pictures.
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Even if you're not totally on board with the pet cloning idea, you'd have to have a cold, cold heart not to at least melt at these pictures. I mean, baby puppies of any sort are awwww-worthy in my book.This is Bernann McKinney from Hollywood, California holding up a clone of her late pitbull terrier, Booger, at the Seoul National University animal hospital in Korea on August 5. Five clones were created by South Korean scientists in the world's first commercial cloning of a pet dog . . . and the price of her love was nearly $50,000. She looks super happy with her new babe – they kinda look like twinsies– so I bet it's all worth it in her (check) book.

View 9 Photos ›

See more pics of the pups when you read more

The Scoop: Trade Center Hero, Trakr, to Be Cloned
News

The Scoop: Trade Center Hero, Trakr, to Be Cloned

Meet Trakr, the heroic pup who helped locate the last human survivor under about 30 feet of debris after the September 11 attacks.
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Meet Trakr, the heroic pup who helped locate the last human survivor under about 30 feet of debris after the September 11 attacks. The German Shepherd (and his owner) were among the first search and rescue teams to arrive at Ground Zero, and I'm betting that's why he was deemed the most 'clone-worthy' canine by BioArts International in their competition offering someone a free chance to replicate their pet; a sample of Trakr's DNA will be transported to the South Korean lab of the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, and the cloned dog could be ready later this year!

View 10 Photos ›

While we were divided on whether we'd clone our own pets (at that high price), check out more pictures of this beautiful dog with his owner, James Symington, when you read more

So Whaddya Think: Is Your Canine Cute Enough to Clone?
Dogs

So Whaddya Think: Is Your Canine Cute Enough to Clone?

For a cool $150,000 Seoul-based RNL Bio will clone your pet dog!
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For a cool $150,000 Seoul-based RNL Bio will clone your pet dog! In cooperation with the scientists who created the world’s first cloned canine, "Snuppy," the organization will continue to work until they are successful . . . battling an average success rate of one out of four. The first order up is from a woman who wants a clone of her dead pittie and had ear tissue taken and preserved at a U.S. biotech company before the dog died a year-and-a-half ago. The idea is that you can have the same dog – genetically – over and over again for the rest of your life . . . are you buying in?

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One Story, Three Ways: The FDA's Ruling on Cloned Meat
FDA

One Story, Three Ways: The FDA's Ruling on Cloned Meat

Click to ReadOne Story, Three Ways: The FDA's Ruling on Cloned Meat Yesterday the FDA backed up its 4-year-old decision confirming that meat from cloned animals is safe for human consumption.
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One Story, Three Ways: The FDA's Ruling on Cloned Meat
Yesterday the FDA backed up its 4-year-old decision confirming that meat from cloned animals is safe for human consumption. That's the nugget, (cloned chicken or otherwise . . .) now here's how the media served up the story.

Do You Care If Your Meat or Milk Comes From Cloned Animals?
Poll

Do You Care If Your Meat or Milk Comes From Cloned Animals?

This weekend the Washington Post reported that the Food and Drug Administration is close to approving meat and milk from cloned farm animals and offspring.
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This weekend the Washington Post reported that the Food and Drug Administration is close to approving meat and milk from cloned farm animals and offspring. If they approve it, it means that the products made from these animals will start showing up on your store shelves.

Reports from New Zealand and Australia both conclude that the meat and milk from cloned animals are safe. Reports from Canada, Argentina and the EU will reportedly do the same.

If the FDA does approve the sale of cloned animal products, it should be noted that they will not require labels. However before you start panicking, two of the largest US animal cloners, ViaGen and Trans Ova Genetics of Sioux Center, have announced that they will voluntarily segregate their clones from their other livestock. This move could allow some folks to label their products as "clone free."

Oh and I should also note that the USDA will not allow cloned meat to be deemed organic.

So what do you think of this cloned meat business? Are you worried about eating it?

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