Cloning question

[Sam Or I]

OK, not want to hijack the cannibalism thread, because this has nothing to do with it, but I got the idea from there.

If you cloned a single Identical twin, would the egg still split so to speak in the womb? If you can, in the future, would we see cows having litters instead of a single offspring (thinking of the lack of food supply in the senario of the need for cannibalism). If you clone a cow with Identical triplets, you can get 3 cows for the time it takes for one. Just something I have never thought of.

[Admiral Valdemar]

OK, not want to hijack the cannibalism thread, because this has nothing to do with it, but I got the idea from there.

If you cloned a single Identical twin, would the egg still split so to speak in the womb? If you can, in the future, would we see cows having litters instead of a single offspring (thinking of the lack of food supply in the senario of the need for cannibalism). If you clone a cow with Identical triplets, you can get 3 cows for the time it takes for one. Just something I have never thought of.

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking whether cloning an identical twin's DNA will mean more identical twins in the surrogate mother?

[Nathan F]

Have you ever seen how large a calf is at birth? I seriously doubt that a cow would be able to surivive the birth of more than one calf.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Have you ever seen how large a calf is at birth? I seriously doubt that a cow would be able to surivive the birth of more than one calf.

Well that is a problem too, but I'm wondering what method the OP was getting at specifically.

[Sam Or I]

[quote]

I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking whether cloning an identical twin's DNA will mean more identical twins in the surrogate mother?[/quote]

Yes, thats what I mean. Is an identical twins DNA genetically made to split the embryo in the womb, or is it some other act of a hormone or something?

[/quote]Have you ever seen how large a calf is at birth? I seriously doubt that a cow would be able to surivive the birth of more than one calf.[quote]

Your right it is rare, but it does happen. http://www.lifestylefarmer.com/articles ... _twins.htm

think of it feternal twins would be alot easier to do, but I am still intrested in the concept of cloning a twin[/quote]

[Admiral Valdemar]

I hate to say it, but we honestly don't know what causes the zygote to split. It could be any number of transmembrane signalling ligands or a built in genetic switch, but really, I cannot find any real sources in my textbooks or on the Net.