Growing sperm in the lab: an embryonic science
A recent announcement that scientists had created functioning spermatozoids from mouse embryonic stem cells in the lab made quite a splash in the media. However, one key point seemed to be overlooked...
BioNews
Clone
An exact genetic replica of a living thing. Clones may occur naturally or, in the case of cloned animals and plants, be produced in the laboratory using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology.
In cell biology a clone can be any of a group of identical cells derived from the same cell.
682 articles
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
The case against human cloning
Compared to the frenzy over human cloning a decade ago, in recent years the issue has received very little political attention. But as the ongoing fights over CRISPR and mitochondrial replacement show, some of the underlying debates are still with us...
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Book Review: Biotechnology/Cloning and Stem Cells
'What is Ethics?' A seemingly innocent question asked by a 14-year-old student in my first year as a teacher. I struggled for a reply. Since then, I have been on the lookout for any resource that clarifies this question...
Poland passes IVF law
Poland's lower house of parliament has approved a bill that, for the first time, provides statutory regulation of IVF in the country...
Book Review: Gene Jockeys - Life Science and the Rise of Biotech Enterprise
'Everybody has the same damn list.' It was with these words that Peter Farley, one time president of the biotechnology firm, Cetus, described the early days of commercial molecular biology. This race to clone, express and commercialise human genes is the focus of Nicolas Rasmussen's book...
Book Review: Humanity Enhanced - Genetic Choice and the Challenge for Liberal Democracies
Russell Blackford's venture into heated human enhancement rhetoric feels very much like being plunged into the world of Andrew Niccol's 1997 film, Gattaca...
Government is misleading public about mitochondrial donation, claim scientists
The UK Government has been accused of deliberately misleading the public in order to win approval over its plans to implement mitochondrial replacement techniques in IVF...
TV Review: Orphan Black
Orphan Black is a fast-paced, nail-biting thriller about human cloning that raises questions about control of personal genetic information, the harms of non-invasive research and the nature of family...
Image by Sílvia Ferreira, Cristina Lopo and Eileen Gentleman via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a single human stem cell embedded within a porous hydrogel matrix (false colour).
Insulin-producing cells created by cloning
Researchers have transformed embryonic stem cells from a diabetic woman into insulin-producing beta cells, a study in Nature reports...
Human cloning first: stem cells created from adult skin cells
Scientists have used a cloning technique to successfully create human embryonic stem cells from adult cells for the first time...