HUMAN CLONING
An Internet WebQuest
Introduction
You may have heard a great deal of controversy about cloning. Cloning is a process that
produces a copy of a plant or animal. Some clones are natural. Identical human twins are
one example. However, producing human clones in a lab raises many ethical questionsissues related to the concepts of right or wrong.
Do you know specifically what a clone is? According to the dictionary, a clone is a cell or a
group of cells that have grown from a single parent cell. The clone cell or cells are
genetically identical to the parent cell. By genetically identical, we mean that all the genes
in the clone are identical to the parent's genes. A gene is a small piece of DNA, the
molecule that contains the blueprint for a living thing.
In 1997, a sheep named Dolly was announced as the first clone of an adult mammal.
Because humans are also mammals, the possibility of human cloning stirred up worldwide
interest and concern.
In spite of concerns, research using human cloning has continued. In 2001, a British team
was awarded a license to research human cloning. In February 2005, Ian Wilmut, the
scientist who led the team that created Dolly, was also granted a human cloning license.
The goals for both teams centered on medical research. Neither research effort involves
creating entire cloned humans.
Cloning has the potential to create many benefits for humans, especially in the area of
medical technology. However, many questions remain unanswered. What restrictions
should be placed on cloning? Will cloning lead to designer babies? Who would be socially
responsible for cloned humans? These kinds of decisions about cloning involve weighing
the trade-offs between positive and negative effects, a common issue with technology.
Those decisions are also influenced by values and opinions held by various groups of
people.
Task
Your job in this WebQuest is to find out more about cloning. You will explore the issues
raised by potential cloning of human beings, and you will form an opinion as to whether
human cloning should be allowed. You will also find out about another issue closely related
to cloning-stem cell research.
Process
Read through the following set of questions. Then research the Internet sites that are listed
after them. As you explore each site, look for answers to the questions. Keep a record of
the sites where you find answers.
Questions about Cloning
1.
What kind cloning occurs naturally in plants? Give one example.
2.
Identify an organism cloned before Dolly the sheep. What year was it cloned?
3.
Identify three possible uses for cloning.
4.
Describe three serious problems that could arise from the cloning of humans.
5.
Identify and describe a potential problem with cloning that might affect family and
society.
6.
In your own words, describe one misconception about cloning.
7.
Take a stance on the question of human cloning: Do you support a complete ban,
limited control, or uncontrolled use of such cloning? Write a paragraph to support
your position.
8.
Stem cells are pluripotent cells. This means that they can develop into every type of
cell, tissue, and organ. How does this make them of interest for humans?
9.
How do scientists get stem cells from cloning?
10.
Identify and describe an issue related to stem cells.
Resources
Look at the Web sites given here to find the information that will enable you to answer
questions and form your own opinion about human cloning.
How Cloning Works
http://www.howstuffworks.com/cloning.htm

This site describes the cloning process and possible reasons for cloning.
Genetic Science Learning Center: The Clone Zone
http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/clonezone/

This site from the University of Utah provides a Cloning Timeline Navigator that
covers the history of cloning.
Cloning Fact Sheet
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/cloning.shtml

This site from the Human Genome Project provides information about the risks
of cloning.
Genetic Science Learning Center: Cloning in Focus
http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/cloning/

This site covers the risks of cloning, the reasons to clone, myths, and issues in
cloning.
American Medical Association: Human Cloning
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4560.html

This site provides information about cloning. Click on "AMAs CEJA Report, The
Ethics of Cloning" to learn more about arguments for and against cloning and
possible problems that might be caused.
How Stem Cells Work
http://science.howstuffworks.com/stem-cell.htm

Go to the site for information about how stem cells work and issues related to
stem cell research and cloning.
Conclusion
In the process of completing this WebQuest, you have developed research skills as you
explored Web sites and identified the relevant information to answer the questions. You
have learned that cloning is the focus of heated debates among scientists, government
officials, and people in all walks of life. Your research has shown you that there are
legitimate concerns on more than one side of this complex issue.