What is cloning?(research and ethical aspects)(Brief Article)

Cloning, also called "somatic cell nuclear transfer," is a laboratory method that allows the creation of a new individual who has only a single genetic parent. Cloning has produced live births in several species of mammals, including sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, mice, and monkeys.

In cloning, the nucleus (containing an individual's genetic code) is first removed from an egg cell and replaced with the nucleus taken from a body cell of a donor. (The donor can be anybody.) This combination of two cells is then stimulated or "activated," usually by an electric current. When successful, an embryo begins to develop - - an embryo with virtually the same genetic makeup as that of the single parent who contributed the nucleus.

In November, the biotech firm Advanced Cell Technology claimed it had created several cloned human embryos, who died for unknown ...