Cloning

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to the cloning of plants and animals, genetic modification, and associated ethical considerations.

Clone

A plant or animal that has exactly the same genes as its parent.

Plant Cloning

The process by which differentiated cells in plants can be stimulated to generate a whole new organism, resulting in hundreds or thousands of genetically identical plants.

Asexual Reproduction

A mode of reproduction in which an organism is produced from a single parent, creating a clone.

Nuclear Transplantation

A cloning technique where the nucleus of an egg cell is replaced with the nucleus from an adult somatic cell.

Blastocyst

A hollow ball of cells formed about five days after nuclear transplantation; it can develop into an embryo.

Reproductive Cloning

Cloning that results in the birth of a new living individual.

Therapeutic Cloning

The use of cloning to produce new body tissues from stem cells for the treatment of disease or injury.

Stem Cell

An undifferentiated cell that has the capability to give rise to different kinds of specialized cells.

Human Cloning

The process of creating a genetically identical copy of a human being.

Ethical Considerations

Debates around the appropriateness of cloning technologies, including sex determination and the use of human embryonic stem cells.