Warm Up #10 - Cloning
Responses from Wednesday March 28, 2001

Q1 = QUESTION 1: Dolly the sheep is a genetic twin, or clone, of a sheep that was born 6 years earlier than Dolly. Read the material for today. Does Dolly have parents? If so, who were her genetic parents? Is Dolly a "virgin birth"?

From KH: Q1 = That's a hard question. She was cloned from the cell of a 6 year old sheep. Dolly doesnt' have what we would commonly think of as parents, but genetically her parents would be the same parents of the six year old sheep.

From Emer: Q1 = Yeah dolly has parents...if she didnt how would she get her genetic makeup. the genes have to come from a male and a female in order to make a baby of any type.

From MT: Q1 = Yes, Dolly has parents. Her parents are the ones that provided the DNA. So her parents would be the parents of the sheep she was cloned after.

From Monty: Q1 = Dolly does have genetic parents. Those being the parents of the sheep who was born 6 years earlier. Dolly would have the same genetic makeup as the sheep before, who has gotten her genetic makeup from her parents.

Q2 = QUESTION 2: What is wrong with the thinking that if we were ever to clone a person, like Einstein, a brilliant physicist, we would end up with another brilliant physicist?

From Fleet-foot: Q2 = The flaw in that thinking is in how both "Einsteins" would have two very different life experiences. At least that's what I would think. The second Einstein might even hate all the pressure that would most likely be on him, considering who he was cloned after.

From Jed: Q2 = Einstein became a physicist, he was not born one. He was born with the capabilities of being a supreme mental power but only blossomed when we was educated by life and college. All we would gain by cloning Albert Einstein is a person with the "capabilities" of being a brilliant physicist.

From LF: Q2 = Not sure but I think the “Einstein clone” would have the same genetic make-up as Einstein, but who is to say the clone would be brilliant. Considering that Einstein and the “Einstein clone” would be born in quiet a huge time gap. (Talk about growing up in different environments.)

From Evelyn: Q2 = We can't assume that a clone of Einstien would turn out just as brilliant and come up with as many, if not more brilliant theories because who and what a person is depends on the environment in which they live as well as the people they are surrounded with, influences in their lives as well as their genetics. Although it would be possible to recreate the genetic Einstien it would be impossible to recreate his entire childhood and all the influences in his life.

From AP: Q2 = Genetically they would be alike. But with a different soul their gifts would be different. Lots of things play a part. Environment, culture, etc.. They would have different personalities.

Q3 = QUESTION 3: Can you think of a way that a person's genetic information might be used to discriminate against them for employment or insurance coverage? Give an example. How might employers or insurance companies obtain this knowledge?

From AP: Q3 = Yes, if insurance companies knew before hand that a child would suffer from a disease of somekind they may put restrictions on the childs coverage, raise rates, or refuse to cover the childs future health neads. Maybe if they knew a child would have cystic fibrosis they would up the insurance rates for the child to save themsevlves money.

From DO: Q3 = If someone has a harmful disease many insurance companies will not cover these people. They can obtain this knowledge through genetic testing.

From Lily: Q3 = Although (new) laws are being reviewed/revised to take into consideration the 'genetic factor' to curb unauthorized or improper use of personal medical records, most medically related process require that you sign a release form - once signed we can probably kiss privacy goodbye. Inthe right/wrong hands, our SS# alone gives access to endless personal information, including medical records.

From RV: Q3 = It all ready happens in some cases. If an insurance company knows that you have a history of cancer in your family and had recovered from about of cancer yourself they can either restrict you from their insurance or they can decline coverage. The same would be true if they or an employer would know your genetic makeup. They could decide to not hire you or not cover you because you have a genetic makeup that predesposes you to get cancer, CF, MS, aids or other disease that would make the medical bills sky rocket or that would cause lots of absence at work or less production.

From CB: Q3 = I would say that if they knew they were carrying a genetic disease or had a genetic disease the insurance companies could hold something against them on coverage. They could obtain this information, possibly by having a physical done and having a blood test during the physical. Which I think would be illegal unless they were telling you what they were doing.

Who Knows your Medical Secrets? August 2000 ConsumerReports article

Q4 = QUESTION 4: Comments, questions, and totally optional: Can you think of any movies that center around cloning, or are based around DNA in some way? If so, what is the 'take-home message' of that movie?

The Cloning Academy Awards: [Plot Summary: Messing with DNA = Don't do it!!!]
Q4 = The obvious one, Jurassic Park, the 'take-home message' of the movie is that the power of controlling DNA can be dangerous if not fullyunderstood, or better yet, if it falls into the wrong hands..
Q4 = Multiplicity........ Don't clone..........YOu get Stupid.....
Q4 = I work at a movie theater and we showed The Sixth Day in the fall with Arnold Swarzanegger or however he would spell it....Anyway, it was centered around human cloning in the future and exposed the audience to both sides of the issue...However, it is an Arnold movie so lots of stuff blew up and people died about every 5 minutes...All in all...cloning is bad in the movie....and so was Arnold.
Q4 = The 6th Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger should retire!
Q4 = Multiplicity, The Matrix. I think that the message that these movies are trying to get across is that we really shouldn't be messing around with Mother Nature.
Q4 = Hollow Man
Q4 = Gattica. It is a movie that centers around DNA. If you have 'good' DNA then you are considered as an above average person and are eligible for certain jobs. If you have 'bad' DNA then you receive the not so pleasant jobs.
Q4 = Jurassic Park, the 6th Day. Cloning and messing around with DNA are BAD ideas!
Q4 = Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged Me. Scott, the son of Dr. Evil, believes that he is a test tube baby, and mini-me, Dr. Evil's clone (although eight times smaller) gets more attention and love. I am not going to expound on the possible message of Austin Powers, but I will say that it is a classic in irreverent comedy. Do not rent for intellectual stimualtion, only spiritual satisfaction : )
Q4 = "X-men." In the movie, there are people called mutants whose genes have been mutated to give them special powers. It basically tells people that mutated genes are capable of giving humans special powers.
Q4 = Termanator. you can make DNA into a killing machine no matter if you kill it "I'll be Back" - because they can make more.
Q4 = The nutty professor. that messing with DNA has concequences|
Q4 = Multiplicity= The scientist wanted to have help around the house. Then he wanted someone to go to hi job for him. And someone to take care of the kids. The take home mesage is there is just nt enugh ofyou to go around. And yet this is you life appreciate what you have.
Q4 = Bladerunner is a movie that centers around cloning. They made clones, I think to serve as soldiers in the army. I think the message that the movie offers is that once you start messing around with cloning human beings you are in for trouble because they are going to have minds of their own, wills of their own and it is highly possible that they will be very mad at you if they feel you haven't done a good job or that they are just slaves and science expiriments. In the movie the DNA in the clones was just so that their life expectancy was only 25 years or something like that, so they came back and killed thier maker when he told them their genetic programming couldn't be changed and he couldn't lengthen their lives.
Q4 = Movie involving cloning: Multiplicity. Message: Cloning can bring up comedic situations that can all end in a satisfying way with no harm done, and if you're cloned, you must be married to Andie MacDowell!
Q4 = Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
Q4 = Fifth Element - Lelu was reconstructed by the DNA of a body part. In that case it was for the good of the salvation of the earth. Not only was her body reconstructed, so was her esence, her spirit. She was not reborn as a child, but as the adult she'd been upon her death. The cloning part of that movie was of little importance - just another day at the office...
Q4 = I can't think of any movies but do know of a soap opera- Guiding Light, that cloned one of their characters. It was a disaster.

Suggestions from Dr. Marrs:
The Fly, with Jeff Goldblum. Man's DNA accidently mixes with fly DNA, with gruesome results
Sleeper, with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Futuristic (and funny) attempt at cloning a dead leader.
The Boys From Brazil: Cloned army for Hitler
And my favorite for the under 10-set:
Pokemon: The First Movie: Although it seems like just another attempt by Nintendo to get our little ones to Catch 'em All, Pokemon: The First Movie is really a movie about Genetic Determinism. Plot summary: Scientists clone the Pokemon MewTwo, who begins cloning other Pokemons in revenge. Our heroes Ash Ketcham and Pikachu confront the clones and save the planet. The film ends with the realization that fighting is wrong AND that an organism is more than their genes......MewTwo's ending speech: "I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It's what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are." (snif!)