Programs: Science and Policy AAAS Policy Brief: Human Cloning
The issue of human cloning has been the subject of much public
debate since the birth of the cloned sheep Dolly was announced
in 1997. The profound ethical questions surrounding the prospect
of the birth of a human clone have received much scrutiny. In
recent months, the debate has included the topic of human
embryonic stem cell research, which scientists believe could
benefit from experimentation using the procedure pioneered by
the scientists who produced Dolly. The Link to Stem Cell
Research Arguments Against Nuclear Transplantation Research
Arguments For Nuclear Transplantation Research The States'
Perspective The International Perspective This procedure is
known as nuclear transplantation, or somatic cell nuclear
transfer (SCNT). It involves removing the nucleus, which
contains a cell's DNA, from an egg cell and transplanting the
DNA from an adult cell into the enucleated egg. Under certain
conditions, the egg then begins to replicate as thoug