Cloning is creating a copy of living matter, such as a cell or organism. The copies produced through cloning have identical genetic makeup and are known as clones (Ian Wilmut). It may occur naturally (asexual reproduction), but techniques have been developed which allow the process to be carried out artificially (R. Soper).
Farmers started cloning plants thousands of years ago in simple ways, such as taking a cutting of a plant and letting it root to make another plant. By the late 20th century cloning technique was used to reproduce genetically modified animals and its utilization in wildlife, industries as well as in medicine also gained importance. Scientists initially made cloned cells in the laboratory by letting a single cell divide into a population of genetically identical cells. They then later developed more complex cloning techniques using animal embryo cells that were undifferentiated—that is, they had not yet specialized into a particular type of cell and are totipotent (able to give rise to all the different cell types in the body) (Ian Wilmut). Exploiting this characteristic, scientists developed three techniques to clone embryo cells: blastomere separation, blastocyst division, and somatic cell nuclear transfer.
In 1993 cloning of human embryo was carried out in U.S.A, although the clones were only grown to the stage of a few cells and then in 1996 cloning of a sheep (Dolly) was made (R. Soper).Little controversy, however, surrounded plant cloning, whereas, animal cloning stirs heartfelt controversy. Critics argue that the science of cloning is in its infancy and, in order to achieve success mistakes may be made along the way. This could result in the development of cloned animals or humans with serious defects (Ian Wilmut) as seen in the early 1990s experiment where cloned cows developed faulty immune systems, cloned mice grew obese. In some studies, cloned animals seemed to grow old faster and die younger than normal members of the species....................
