Cloning using stemcells?

[Shroom Man 777]

I heard stemcells didn't have that genetic age problem normal cells did. And that applies to stem cells harvested from mature critters, not just embryos. So why not use this to clone clones that won't die prematurely?

[Broomstick]

Because it's hard to harvest stem cells from adult mammals. (Probably other adult critters. too)

Because there are different kinds of stem cells. For instance, your bone marrow contains stem cells for blood cells. These are specialized enough that they can only become blood cells, but they can become any type of blood cell. But they can't turn into an eyeball or small intestine or hair folicle.

This is different from the embryonic stem cells, which really can become any cell in the adult body. THOSE are useful for cloning - in fact, get an embryo early enough you can just separate all the cells and get clones easily. For instance, an eight-cell embroyo splits relatively easily into 8 cells, each of which can become a genetically identical adult.

When they cloned Dolly and the other mammal clones, they might have started with a specialized stem cell and converted into something very like an embryonic stem cell, but whether the manipulation of the cells resulted in the many deaths and deformities and premature aging or something else did isn't quite entirely settled yet. They have some strong theories, but we're still on the learning curve here.

[Shroom Man 777]

Actually, wasn't it ascertained that when cloning, the DNA your using is just as old as the guy your cloning from. So your clone won't be any younger? And this was the cause of a lot of clones dying prematurely?

[Elheru Aran]

Actually, wasn't it ascertained that when cloning, the DNA your using is just as old as the guy your cloning from. So your clone won't be any younger? And this was the cause of a lot of clones dying prematurely?

In terms of age, chronologically your clone will be much younger, of course. But biologically, it will be the same age (though it probably won't show much symptoms of that age till later on); for example, you clone yourself at thirty. Ten years later, you have a ten-year-old clone with the symptoms and limitations of a 40-year-old body.

At least I think that's how it is...

[kahless the unforgetable]

Morality and Ethical issues aside I would like to see someone try to clone the race horse Phar Lap now there was an athlete

[Shroom Man 777]

In terms of age, chronologically your clone will be much younger, of course. But biologically, it will be the same age (though it probably won't show much symptoms of that age till later on); for example, you clone yourself at thirty. Ten years later, you have a ten-year-old clone with the symptoms and limitations of a 40-year-old body.

At least I think that's how it is...

And that's what I was trying to say