A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Since the cloning of Dolly the Sheep in 1996, somatic cell nuclear transfer technique has been adapted as the most advanced cloning technology in the scientific community. It is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in last century and brings many benefits to our society. The cloning of farm animals that have “superior genes” can increase the productivity of meat and milk (1). Also, the technology can be used to protect animals by increasing the number of animals with genetic resistance to infectious disease. However, animal cloning also opens up a Pandora’s Box of ethical issues because the survival rate of cloning animals is extremely low. In addition, the towering costs of cloning and health safety of cloned food are legitimate concerns (2).

In somatic cell nuclear transfer, the nucleus is removed from a somatic cell, and inserted into an egg cell. Then, the somatic cell nucleus is reprogrammed by the host cell. The egg is that contains the nucleus of a somatic cell can divide and generate organisms that have DNA content that identical to the somatic cell(3).

The technical advances in the field of cloning have brought huge impacts on the food market and potential benefits to the environment and all living organisms. The cloning of farm animals such as cattle gives huge benefit to the farmers. They can select cows with “superior gene” that can be fast growing, disease resistant and able to produce high quality meat (1). In addition, cloning can reduce the occurrence of pain and disease among farm animals, and therefore improve their survival rate and overall welfare. Furthermore, cloning can decrease the number of unwanted species that carry infectious disease, which are not only detrimental to human but also the environment. For instance, the elimination of pests can increase the crop production and reduce the need of fertilizers, which are harmful to human and various animals (1).

Despite the benefit of genetic cloning, it has many drawbacks and is source of debate for many ethical issues. First of all, cloning is an extremely costly process. According to the recent statistics, the average cost of cloning a pet or a farm animal is as high as 50,000 dollars (4). In addition, the survival rate of cloning animals is very low. Only one in five of the clones actually survived and has normal physical and mental development. The majority of the cloned animals is defective and is usually lost early in age. Even successful clones with normal appearance have a small chance of possessing genetic defects that could make them unsafe for consumption (2). Therefore, the food and drug administration should strictly regulate food produced from genetic cloned animals and develop a system to monitor the production of cloned livestock. Another ethical issue involves in the cloning of pets or domestic animals, which is strongly opposed by different animal rights organizations such as PETA. The cloned family pet is definitely not identical to the original one because organisms can be influenced by environmental factors. This is synonymous with the age-old debate of genetic versus environmental factors. Also, the cloned pets or even human is especially controversial among different religious groups, who may believe that it is not moral to “Play God”.

I think genetic cloning is an advancement that is attributed to our modern technology. The technique can potentially benefit our society in terms of food production and natural protection. However, because cloning is still in a developing stage, many issues such as high cost and low successful rate are still unresolved. Furthermore, it causes many ethical issues and is strongly opposed by religious groups. Therefore, more research is needed to improve the genetic cloning technology before it can be widely applied for different purposes.

Work Cited

(1)  Bren, Linda. “Cloning: Revolution or Evolution in Animal Production.” US and Drug Administration 2003. 8 October 2007 http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Sep Oct03.htm#2078

(2)  “Scientists Say Cloning Animals for Food has Uncertain Benefits, Many Drawbacks” Union of Concerned Scientists 2006. 8 October 2007 <http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/scientists-say-cloning.html>

(3)  “Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning)” AAMC. 2005. 8 October 2007 <http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/library/research/res0003.htm

(4)  Mott, Maryann. “Cat Cloning Offered to Pet Owners” National Geographic News 2004. 8 October 2007 < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news /2004/03/0 324_0 40324_ catclones.html

Editor’s Comments:

Dear Student,

Although this is a short essay, you have made many valid points of arguments and supported them with a sufficient amount of detail. This is a classic approach to introduce an idea and characterizing it from two different points of view. Even though most people tend to lean toward one side of argument, it is good to see that you have generally stayed neutral and take on an objective as opposed to subjective point of view.

However, there are many points that will improve your overall essay. First, your original essay had no real format. I changed the spacing for the essay as well as added a “work cited” title so the audience will know that you have used different sources to write this essay. In addition, you should give your essay a proper header and a title. Depending on your requirements for this essay, a possible title could be [Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer: Modern Day Marvel or Moral Mistake] or [A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer]. Which one you pick is up to you but a title is definitely essential.

The general message of your essay is very clear. You mention the possible “advances” that somatic nuclear transfer can bring to the scientific community and the “benefits” it can bring to the farming industry. However, even though the general message is good, your essay is filled with grammatical errors and conflicts. Throughout the essay, one prevalent problem is your verb-noun agreements and verb tense selection. You can refer to this website [http://editfast.com/english/grammar/verbs/verb_1.htm] to help you write a consistent essay free of verb conflicts. However, as a general rule, you should select a certain verb form (past or present) and stick with it throughout the essay.

In addition, in all of the paragraphs, especially the first one, you have many excessive wording that can be eliminated and/or are inappropriate. I have crossed the excessive words out so you should remove them in your final essay. I have also made many adjustments throughout your essay to improve the syntax and sentence flow, such as the following change: “Furthermore, cloning can decrease the number of unwanted species that carry infectious disease, which are not only detrimental to human but also the environment.” I have also inserted a couple of analogies to give your essay more variety and flavor.

Overall you have a well structured essay with proper introduction and conclusion as well as supporting details in the main body paragraphs. Good luck with your essay and assignment, the corrected version should demonstrate the importance and the effects of somatic cell nuclear transfer on society and the environment!

Sincerely,

AbroadEssay