CCSS 

R.1, R.2, R.4, R.5, R.7, R.9, W.4, SL.1, L.4

 

Seeing Double

If you could use science to make an exact copy of your favorite pet, would you do it? 

John Daniels/Ardea 

    There’s been a death in the family. Your dog Max is gone. You loved him more than anything. Now, you don’t know what to do.

    You don’t want another dog. He wouldn’t have that little brown spot above his eye. He wouldn’t rub his head against your leg the same way. No dog could replace Max.

    But wait. Suppose you could have an exact copy of Max. Yes, the brown spot would be there. Maybe he’d rub his head against your leg the same way too. And this new puppy would be made from a piece of Max himself!

    There has been a death in the family. Your dog Max has died. You loved Max. What do you do?

    You don’t want another dog. He wouldn’t look the same. He wouldn’t act the same. No dog could take the place of Max.

    But wait. What if you could have a copy of Max? Your new dog would look like Max. He could act like Max. He would be Max 2. Why? He would be made from Max!

    There’s been a death in the family. Your dog Max has passed away. You loved him more than anything, and you’re not sure what to do now.

    You’re definitely not interested in getting a new dog. He wouldn’t have that little brown spot above his eye, and he wouldn’t rub his head against your leg the same way. No dog could replace Max.

    But suppose you could have an exact copy of Max. Yes, the brown spot would be there, and he might even rub his head against you too. Believe it or not, he would be made from a piece of Max himself!

Making Copies

    If this were a horror movie, the creepy music would start now. The evil laugh would rise from the basement of the castle. The monster dog would appear in the glowing moonlight.

    But there will be none of that. 

    This is a story about science. And the part about making a new dog from a piece of Max? That’s real. Scientists know how to make exact copies of animals. It’s a process called cloning. And people are using it to re-create the pets they loved.

    Here’s how cloning works. Scientists cut a small piece of skin from an animal—Max the dog, for example. From that piece of skin they take a single cell. Then they remove an egg from a female dog. In a lab, they combine the egg and the cell. If everything goes well, the egg and the cell turn into an embryo. An embryo is the first stage of growth for humans and animals.

    In the next step, the embryo is placed inside another female dog. It grows inside its new “mother.” About two months later, a puppy is born. That puppy is an exact copy of the original dog. And you have your new pet: Max 2.

    Is this a horror movie? Where’s the creepy music? Where’s the evil laugh? Where’s the monster dog?

    Don’t worry. This is not a horror movie.

    This is a story about science. Scientists know how to copy animals. It’s called cloning. Some people clone their pets.

    Here’s how cloning works. Scientists cut a small piece of skin from a pet, like Max. They take one cell from the skin. Then they remove an egg from a female dog. They combine the egg and the cell. The egg and the cell turn into an embryo. An embryo is the start of growth for humans and animals.

    Next, the embryo is placed inside a female dog. It grows inside its “mother.” Two months later, a puppy is born. The puppy is a copy of the original dog.

    If this were a horror movie, the creepy music would start now. Then the evil laugh would rise from the basement of the castle. Finally, the monster dog would appear in the glowing moonlight.

    But none of that is happening in this story. This is a story about science. Even the part about making a new dog from a piece of Max is something that can really happen in a laboratory. Scientists today can make exact copies of animals through a process called cloning, and people are using this process to re-create the pets they loved.

    Here’s how cloning works: Scientists cut a small piece of skin from the animal that is to be cloned, like Max the dog. From that piece of skin, the scientists take a single cell. Then they remove an egg from a female dog. In a lab, the scientists combine the egg and the cell. If everything proceeds properly, the egg and the cell turn into an embryo, which is the very beginning of growth for humans and animals.

    In the next step, the embryo is placed inside another female dog. It grows inside its new “mother,” and about two months later, a puppy is born. That puppy is an exact copy of the original dog. And you have your new pet: Max 2.

Art by Brown Bird Design

Cloned Cows

    Scientists have known how to clone animals for more than 20 years. But there aren’t a lot of clones walking around. The process is complicated. It works only about once in five tries. And it costs a lot of money. The Texas company ViaGen Pets charges $50,000 to clone a dog. A cat costs $25,000.

    But cloning isn’t just for sad pet owners. Companies like Trans Ova Genetics in Iowa clone farm animals, like cows and pigs. On every farm, some animals are much more productive than others. For example, certain cows make more milk than other cows. Some farmers clone their best cows. Then they breed the clones. Hopefully the calves will produce as much milk as their mothers. 

    It costs about $20,000 to clone a cow. To some farmers, it’s worth every penny. A cloned cow can help a farm stay in business. It can also help produce more milk for the world.

    The first animal was cloned about 20 years ago. Since then, not many clones have been made. Cloning is complicated. It works about once every five times. And it costs a lot of money. ViaGen Pets clones pets. The company is in Texas. A dog costs $50,000. A cat costs $25,000.

    But cloning isn’t just for pet owners. Trans Ova Genetics is another cloning company. It is in Iowa. It clones farm animals. Some farm animals are more productive than others. For example, certain cows make more milk than others. Some farmers clone their best cows. Then they breed the clones. The calves may produce a lot of milk too.

    It costs about $20,000 to clone a cow. To some farmers, the cost is worth it. A cloned cow can help a farm stay in business. It can also help produce more milk for the world.

    Although scientists have known how to clone animals for about 20 years, there aren’t many clones walking around. The process is complicated, succeeds only about 20 percent of the time, and is costly. The Texas company ViaGen Pets charges $50,000 to clone a dog and $25,000 to clone a cat.

    But cloning isn’t just for grieving pet owners. Companies like Trans Ova Genetics in Iowa clone mostly farm animals, like cows and pigs. On every farm, some animals are much more productive than others. For example, certain cows make more milk than other cows. Some farmers clone their best cows and then breed the clones. The farmers hope that the calves born from the highly productive clones will produce as much milk as their mothers.

    Cloning a cow costs about $20,000. To some farmers, the high cost is worth every penny, because a cloned cow can help a farm stay in business. It can also help produce more milk for the world.

To Clone or Not to Clone

    It may be worth thousands of dollars to clone a farm animal. But does it really make sense to clone a pet? 

    Some people say that cloning is cruel to animals. To get eggs, scientists have to perform surgery on female animals. Other females have to carry the embryos for months. Most of the time, the embryos don’t grow well. The scientists have to start all over again.

    And clones may not turn out exactly like the original. The way an animal acts and looks depends partly on how it grows up. Max 2 will grow up with different experiences than Max 1. That means he’ll be a different dog. Maybe Max 1 learned to rub his head against you. Max 2 might just put his chin on your lap and stare.

    In the end, death might be a problem science can’t solve. There will only ever be one Max. And maybe that’s a good thing. 

    Cloning a cow might make sense. But does it make sense to clone a pet?

    Some people say “no.” They say cloning is cruel. Scientists perform surgery on female animals to get eggs. Other females have to carry the embryos. Often, the embryos don’t grow well. The scientists have to start all over.

    And clones may not turn out like the original. Experiences affect animals. Max 2 will grow up with different experiences than Max 1. So Max 2 will be a different dog. Maybe Max 1 rubbed his head against your leg. But Max 2 might just put his chin on your lap.

    Maybe science can’t solve the problem of death. There might only be one Max. And maybe that’s a good thing.

    Cloning a farm animal has measurable benefits, but does it make sense to clone a pet?

    Some people argue that cloning is cruel to animals. Scientists have to perform surgery on female animals to get eggs, and then other females have to carry the embryos for months. Most of the time, the embryos don’t grow successfully and the process has to be repeated from the beginning.

    Another issue is that clones may not turn out exactly like the original. The way an animal behaves and looks depends partly on how it is raised. For example, Max 2 will grow up with different experiences than Max 1. As a result, Max 2 will be a different dog. Maybe Max 1 learned to rub his head against you. Max 2, however, might just put his chin on your lap and stare.

    In the end, death might be a problem that science can’t solve. Maybe there will only ever be one Max—and maybe that’s a good thing. 

Meet Dolly!

In 1996, a sheep was cloned—and it shocked the world. Would humans be next?

Jeff J Mitchell UK/Reuters 

The Sheep That Changed the World
Dolly raised important questions about cloning.

    She may be the most famous animal ever to walk on Earth. Her name was Dolly. And she was an exact copy of another living sheep. 

    Dolly was born in Scotland in 1996. The announcement of her birth made headlines in newspapers around the world. The lab that produced her got 3,000 phone calls the next week. Most of the callers were shocked that a sheep had been cloned. And they had one important question: Were humans next?

    To some people, the idea was exciting. The science of cloning could help cure diseases. And what about parents whose children had died? Maybe they should have a chance to replace their loved ones with clones.

    But other people found the idea frightening. What if movie studios started cloning the most beautiful actors? What if rich parents bought cells from geniuses to produce smart kids? 

    The future suddenly felt dangerous. Dozens of countries made it illegal to clone humans.

    Since then, more than 20 years have passed. Scientists have cloned mice, cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, cats, and dogs. But no one has figured out how to clone a human being. It may still happen in the future. But for now, the only clones walk on four legs.

    Dolly was a very famous animal. She was a sheep. And she was a copy of another sheep.    

    Dolly was born in Scotland in 1996. She was cloned in a lab. Her birth was big news. The lab got 3,000 phone calls. Most callers were shocked about Dolly. They had one question: Were humans next?

    Some people thought cloning humans was exciting. It could help cure diseases. And what about children who had died? Their parents could replace them with clones.

    But other people thought it was scary. What if beautiful actors were cloned? What if rich parents bought cells from smart people to make smart kids?

    The future seemed dangerous. Many countries made it illegal to clone humans.

    More than 20 years have passed since Dolly was born. Scientists have cloned mice, cows, pigs, and goats. They have cloned rabbits, cats, and dogs. But no one has figured out how to clone a human. It may happen one day. But for now, the only clones walk on four legs. 

    She may be the most famous animal ever to walk on Earth. She was a sheep named Dolly—and she was an exact copy of another living sheep.

    Dolly was born in Scotland in 1996. The announcement of her birth made headlines in newspapers around the world. The lab that produced her received 3,000 phone calls the next week. Most of the callers were shocked that a sheep had been cloned, and they had one important question: Were humans next?

    To some people, the idea of cloning humans was exciting. The science of cloning could lead to cures for diseases. And what about parents whose children had died? Maybe they should have the opportunity to replace their beloved kids with clones.

    But other people found the idea frightening. What if movie studios started cloning the most attractive actors? What if wealthy parents bought cells from geniuses to produce smart kids?

    The future suddenly felt dangerous. Dozens of countries made it illegal to clone humans.

    In the 23 years since Dolly’s birth, scientists have cloned mice, cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, cats, and dogs. However, no one has figured out how to clone a human being. It may still happen in the future—but for now, the only clones walk on four legs.

ACTIVITY: 
Put It Together

How do people feel about cloning animals
and humans?

What to do: Complete the sentences below using examples from the text.

What to do: Complete the sentences below using examples from the text.

What to do: Complete the sentences below using examples from the text.

Some people are excited about cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are three reasons that people think cloning is a good idea?

Some people are excited about cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are three reasons that people think cloning is a good idea?

Some people are excited about cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are three reasons that people think cloning is a good idea?

Other people don’t agree with cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are two reasons that people think cloning is a bad idea?

 

Other people don’t agree with cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are two reasons that people think cloning is a bad idea?

Other people don’t agree with cloning because ___
HINT: Look in both articles. What are two reasons that people think cloning is a bad idea?

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