WARM UP #8: Cloning Dolly, Cloning Humans
Selected student responses

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 Shorty: Q1 = I guess Dolly's parent would be the surrogate mother and the Finn Dorset Ewe. Her genetic parents I guess would be the same as the cell she was cloned froms' parents. Maybe you could call Dolly a virgin birth because there was no sexual activity taken place to produce Dolly not like we would normally think when a male and a female come together.

From PICK ME PICK ME: Q1 = She has genetics parents in the sense that there were two cells, a male and female cell that created her which would be the same parents of the sheep that was born 6 years earlier. In terms of who raised her I'm not sure. Dolly is a virgin birth in the sense that the embryo was implanted in her birth giving mother becuase the sheep didn't have sexual intercourse to produce a baby.

From Cutiepatootie: Q1 = 1.Dolly is a genetic twin of a somatic cell. I would say that her mother is a female dorset ewe. No, i dont think dolly is a virgin birth. She had to come from somewhere. But then again, no animals had to actually have sex for her to be here. Umm.

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 ME: Q2 = It would be very dangerous to clone people, Because who knows what makes the wrong people or the good people. We would not want another Osama!

From Sweetpea: Q2 = The problem with this thinking is that although genetics plays a major role, a person is also subject to the environment around them. In order to form a another identical Einstein the clone would have to be subjected to all of the same experiences and inputs that shaped Einsteins thought processes and life style.

From Chrissy Q2 = If we cloned Einstein, we would have another person identical in appearance and DNA, but not necessarily in intelligence. Intelligence is not contained in DNA and is not inherited, it is learned. The clone could be very stupid even though he were Einstein's clone.

QUESTION 3: The Cloning Academy Awards: 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?

[Plot Summary: Messing around with DNA = Don't do it!!!]

Q3 = When I think of movies about cloning and DNA, I automatically think of Jurassic Park. Even though it is about dinosaurs, it leaves you with a pretty strong take-home message. CLONING IS BAD!!!!!!!!!
Q3 = Multiplicity........ Don't clone..........You get Stupid.....
Q3 = I work at a movie theater and we showed The Sixth Day 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.
Q3 = The 6th Day. Arnold Schwarzenegger should retire!
Q3 = Hollow Man
Q3 = Gattaca. 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.
Q3 = 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 : )
Q3 = "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.
Q3 = Termanator. you can make DNA into a killing machine no matter if you kill it "I'll be Back" - because they can make more.
Q3 = 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.
Q3 = 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.
Q3 = I used to watch Guiding Light (the soap opera) and they cloned one of the main characters, Reva. Even though she had not really died, they thought she did and her clone ended up aging so fast that no one really got to experience the real "Reva" until the actual one showed up again. The take-home-message to me would be that no matter what you will never be able to have the same person back no matter what so don't even try.
Q3 = 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!
Q3 = Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron
Q3 = 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...

Nominations from Dr. Marrs:

The Fly, with Jeff Goldblum. Man's DNA accidently mixes with fly DNA, with gruesome results. Get the fly swatter!

Sleeper, with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Futuristic (and funny) attempt at cloning a dead leader..

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 from another Pokemon, Mew. MewTwo, angered to find out that he is 'just a clone', 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!)

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