Cloning
In this book, cloning is the process by which a person’s harvested DNA divides and develops in the womb of a cow to make another living being (Farmer 3). The specimen then develops in the cow for 9 months, and then is born, or rather, "harvested" (118). When all clones are born, they are given an injection to blunt their intelligence (4, 125). Well, all except the clones of Matteo Alacran ( El Patron,) who has enough power to break that law (125). Typical clones are incapable of taking care of themselves, except El Patron's clones (28).
Clones are looked down upon and treated like animals, as are eejits (see "Eejits and Second Class Citizens" page), and seen as beasts (23, 26-27).
They are used to provide organs for their DNA provider when they need organ transplants (for example, El Patron and Mr. MacGregor) (235).
According to Esperanza Mendoza, Maria Mendoza's mother, there is no such thing as a "clone." Clones are just humans, or as Esperanza refers to them, "unpeople." When the genetic donor dies, his/her clone will take his/her place. This means that Matt is actually El Patron, the ruler of Opium (367).
Clones are looked down upon and treated like animals, as are eejits (see "Eejits and Second Class Citizens" page), and seen as beasts (23, 26-27).
They are used to provide organs for their DNA provider when they need organ transplants (for example, El Patron and Mr. MacGregor) (235).
According to Esperanza Mendoza, Maria Mendoza's mother, there is no such thing as a "clone." Clones are just humans, or as Esperanza refers to them, "unpeople." When the genetic donor dies, his/her clone will take his/her place. This means that Matt is actually El Patron, the ruler of Opium (367).
Cloning Process
Cloning requires two kinds of body cells. One is called a somatic cell, which is any cell in the body (other than sperm and egg cells) that contains the specimen's complete DNA (most commonly a skin cell.) This cell comes from the "genetic donor." The other cell that is needed is an egg cell from a specimen of the same species as the genetic donor. In order to get an identical clone of the genetic donor, scientists must remove the nucleus from the egg cell (the part that holds the egg donor’s DNA.) After doing that, the scientist inserts the somatic cell into the egg cell and uses electricity to bond or “fuse” the two cells together. At this point, the egg cell only contains the genetic donor’s DNA (Process).
To make the cell divide as it usually would in response to being fertilized, the scientist "stimulates" it. After being stimulated, the cell is placed in a culture medium, where it is allowed to duplicate over many days and form a "blastocyst." A blastocyst is the early form of an embryo. Once the embryo is ready, it is implanted inside the womb of a "surrogate mother" (in The House of the Scorpion, they use brood cows as surrogate mothers) (Farmer 3, Process). Finally, after an appropriate gestation period inside the surrogate mother, the clone is born as an identical copy of its genetic donor (Process).
Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell using the process described above, in 1996. The somatic cell used to clone her was an udder cell from a six-year-old of her species of sheep. Other animals had been cloned before she was, such as frogs and mice, but those animals were cloned from embryonic cells, not adult cells (Cloning).
For more information on this topic, click this link to watch a video showing the process of cloning: http://www.dnalc.org/view/16992-Cloning-101.html (Cold).
To make the cell divide as it usually would in response to being fertilized, the scientist "stimulates" it. After being stimulated, the cell is placed in a culture medium, where it is allowed to duplicate over many days and form a "blastocyst." A blastocyst is the early form of an embryo. Once the embryo is ready, it is implanted inside the womb of a "surrogate mother" (in The House of the Scorpion, they use brood cows as surrogate mothers) (Farmer 3, Process). Finally, after an appropriate gestation period inside the surrogate mother, the clone is born as an identical copy of its genetic donor (Process).
Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell using the process described above, in 1996. The somatic cell used to clone her was an udder cell from a six-year-old of her species of sheep. Other animals had been cloned before she was, such as frogs and mice, but those animals were cloned from embryonic cells, not adult cells (Cloning).
For more information on this topic, click this link to watch a video showing the process of cloning: http://www.dnalc.org/view/16992-Cloning-101.html (Cold).
Bibliography
"Cloning Dolly the Sheep." Cloning Dolly the Sheep. AnimalResearch.Info, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "Cloning 101 :: DNA Learning Center."DNALC Blogs. DNA Learning Center, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion. New York: Atheneum for Young Readers, 2002. Print.
"Process of Cloning." CloneSafety.org. CloneSafety, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "Cloning 101 :: DNA Learning Center."DNALC Blogs. DNA Learning Center, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion. New York: Atheneum for Young Readers, 2002. Print.
"Process of Cloning." CloneSafety.org. CloneSafety, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Made by Cara F.