CLONING – WILL THE DUPLICATE BE THE
SAME AS THE ORIGINAL?
I
would like to analyze the success of the existing cloning technology in this
discussion. Let me put it this way. If you are cloned will the clone resemble
you? This wouldn’t rather seem to be a paradox because as one saying goes,
“We are
nothing but our genes”
Here one thing worth mentioning is that the genes of course
play a vital part in determining the important characters like hair, skin
color, height etc. and to some extent mental characters, our features are
mainly determined by our environment. If the same YOU have been brought up elsewhere (in the world) do you think you
would look the same way you look now? Not so. Also our physical features too to
a certain extent will be altered by mental thoughts (by the way, doesn’t
anxiety cause a pimple or frowns in the forehead?). Like the saying goes,
“The face is an index of the mind”
it is right
to mention that your clone if brought up in the same conditions (both physical
and mental) as you were may
produce the phenotype the same as you look now. Another reason to support this
conclusion is based on the principle that every human has a life force
circulating around him called as Bio-magnetism; it is the presence of this
which differentiates living organisms from the dead. When this bio-magnetism
gets deranged or falls below permissible limits diseases result which forms the
basis of the medical science of Homoeopathy (principle of vital force). This
bio magnetism circulates throughout the body and has all the properties of the
person which is his personality. When you think, see, smell, taste, feel and
hear it is this bio-magnetism which goes out of the body through five sense
organs and the mind (in human beings). This Bio-magnetism on striking the
target comes back as reflection and adds on to our
bio-magnetism as experience which I suppose might be imprinted in all the cells
as magnetic field. Now the part of the egg without nucleus is also a living
cell which will contain bio-magnetism with its inherent qualities. The process
of cloning as you might know involves three subjects - The egg donor, the
subject to be cloned and the surrogate mother who can also be the egg donor.
Hence in the production of clone embryo there is an interaction of three
bio-magnetic forces on the genes of the embryo. So, why not they influence the
original gene (of the subject) by bringing about some change in the structure
if possible?
Many researches have shown that the psychological and
physical activities of the mother have an effect on the physical and mental
growth of the fetus. A good example lies in our literature where arjuna’s son abhimanyu
still in the womb of his mother overhears the teachings of Lord Krishna about chakravyuham formation (Blah! Blah! ). So a person’s features
and character is determined not only by the genes but also by factors right
from the time of fertilization. In cloning the genes are supplied by the
subject to be cloned and zygote grows in the surrogate mother who carries the
baby. Hence concluding that your clone will look like you is like blindly
believing some scientists without any thorough reasoning. However we might give
the idea a 50-50 probability i.e. the clone might look 50% or less like the
subject. By the way, I don’t know how these scientists say Dolly looks like the
parent (for me all sheep look the same) so I think even if a human is cloned he
would never look the same as the donor. I am not making this statement thinking
that I would be safe because it would take a long time for the clone to grow
and show visible difference but because of the aforesaid reasons. So, why this hype and paraphernalia about look-alikes?
Instead of spending time and resources on cloning humans, efforts can be made
on the field of therapeutic cloning. Coming back to our discussion the Raelian movement has already started with the first human clone
expected in early 2003. Will it be successful i.e. in our case resembling the
donor? Only time will tell the answer. Views from readers regarding this
discussion are most welcome and appreciated. You can share your views at [email protected]
P.S. I have used the words might everywhere as I am not sure that what I say is right. This is
only my opinion and I have tried my
best to justify it. Opposite views too are equally welcome.