stem cells 101

[cquark]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard
I may not be on the right track here (it's been a dearly long time since I took genetics - 9 years :-x), but if you're replacing the nucleus to create the clone, why is it difficult to replace it with a nucleus containing the desired DNA?

If you replaced it with a modified nucleus from another egg, that wouldn't be cloning. That's one type of GM and a different and simpler procedure than cloning. Why go to all the extra work of cloning if all you want is genetic modification?

Cloning adds all the extra work of dealing with somatic cells and then convincing a somatic cell nucleus to reproduce once it's in the egg, with all the issues of telomere lengths and such, and there's no reason to do all that extra work if all you want to do is modify the DNA already in the egg.

 

[marcello]

Originally posted by: CycloWizard
[Drugs also have the potential to do all of these things without the need to consume human life (yes, they still are, even if they're frozen in a warehouse... I alreay mentioned that I think in vitro fertilization is a problem for this reason).

The separation of church and state has been brought up time and time again to allow things that impinge on the conscience of many people in our country. Unfortunately, this is NOT what the separation of church and state is about. The whole point of separating church and state is to avoid a theocracy, not to allow immoral behavior. http:// http://www.noapathy.org/tracts/mythofseparation.html

What drugs have the potential to do this? I have heard of nothing even remotely close to curing cancer, spinal cord injury, diabetes, etc with drugs. Whereas they have already had success curing these afflictions in rats. Also, it is in your opinion that we are consuming human life. I don't think so, and many other people don't think so, and you shouldn't be allowed to decide what is right for me. It is not black and white when an embryo becomes a human life, it is a matter of opinion. We want the option, and taking that away from people because you disagree with it is wrong.