Hey there! Imagine you’re a scientist with big dreams of creating a clone army to take over the world. Sounds exciting, right? But before you dive into the ethical and economic challenges of leading such an army, there’s a major scientific obstacle you need to overcome.
Cloning might seem simple at first. Normally, a new life begins when a sperm cell’s DNA combines with an egg cell’s DNA, forming a fertilized egg, or zygote. In cloning, instead of this natural process, you take a full set of DNA from a body cell and insert it into an egg cell to create a clone zygote. You might think this clone zygote would develop just like a regular one, but that’s not usually the case.
The problem with cloned zygotes is that they often don’t develop properly. Although every cell in the body contains a complete set of DNA, each cell type optimizes its DNA for specific tasks. This means some genes are marked as unnecessary or get tangled up, making the DNA from non-reproductive cells less ideal for cloning. These tags and tangles make it hard for the clone zygote to divide and grow.
There are special enzymes that help prepare DNA from sperm and eggs for reproduction, but they struggle with the DNA from other cells in a clone zygote. As a result, when a clone zygote tries to divide, it often doesn’t work out. However, sometimes the tags and tangles don’t stop the embryo from developing, which is how we got successful clones like Dolly the sheep.
If you want to mass-produce your clone army, especially if your original supersoldier gets older, you’ll need to clone a clone. This is tough because the DNA in your cloned supersoldier will have even more tags and tangles. As cells specialize further, the DNA becomes more complicated, making cloning even harder.
Recently, scientists discovered a super-enzyme that might handle multiple generations of tagged and tangled DNA, potentially allowing for successive clones. However, this has only worked in some rodent species so far. So, your clone army might have to wait—unless your supersoldier is more like a small rodent!
Cloning living organisms is tough, but cloning extinct ones, like the mammoth, is even harder. Scientists are working on this, and you can learn more about their efforts through The Great Courses Plus, which offers a course on paleontology covering the reconstruction and cloning of the mammoth genome.
Besides science, The Great Courses Plus has courses on cooking, art appreciation, and stress management. You can get a free trial subscription and support MinuteEarth by visiting TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/minuteearth or clicking the link in the description below. Thanks, Great Courses Plus!
Congratulations to our latest caption contest winner! If you want to participate, the next image is ready for caption suggestions from all levels of Patrons at Patreon.com/MinuteEarth.
Try extracting DNA from a fruit like a strawberry. This hands-on activity will help you understand the physical presence of DNA and the basics of genetic material. Follow a simple online guide and use household items to see the DNA strands yourself!
Participate in a class debate about the ethical implications of cloning. Research both sides of the argument and present your views. This will help you understand the broader implications of cloning technology beyond just the science.
Draw a comic strip that explains the cloning process and its challenges. Use your creativity to illustrate the steps and obstacles in a fun and engaging way. Share your comic with the class to help others understand cloning better.
Role-play as enzymes in a classroom activity. Assign roles to different students to act as various enzymes and DNA components. This interactive activity will help you visualize how enzymes work in the cloning process and why they struggle with non-reproductive DNA.
Conduct a research project on the efforts to clone extinct species like the mammoth. Present your findings to the class, focusing on the scientific challenges and potential breakthroughs. This will deepen your understanding of cloning’s potential and limitations.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
—
Hi, this is David from MinuteEarth. Suppose you’re a scientist with ambitious plans and you want to take over the world with an army of cloned supersoldiers. Before you tackle the various ethical, economic, and infrastructural challenges that come with leading a clone army, you’ll encounter a significant scientific hurdle.
The concept of cloning is straightforward: instead of using the traditional method of combining a sperm cell’s DNA with an egg cell’s DNA to form a fertilized egg (or zygote), you take a complete set of DNA from a body cell and replace the DNA in an egg cell to create a clone zygote. You might expect this clone zygote to divide and develop into an embryo just like a regular zygote, but most of the time, it won’t.
Cloned zygotes are often unreliable because, while all cells in the body contain a complete set of DNA, they optimize their DNA for specific functions. This specialization leads to certain genes being tagged as unnecessary or tangled up, making the DNA from non-reproductive cells less suitable for cloning. These tags and tangles complicate the division process of the clone zygote.
Although there are enzymes that can help prepare DNA from sperm and eggs for reproduction, they struggle to effectively manage the DNA from other cells in a clone zygote. Consequently, when a zygote attempts to divide, the process frequently malfunctions. Occasionally, however, the tags and tangles don’t prevent the embryo from developing, leading to successful cloning examples like Dolly the sheep.
If you want to scale up your clone army production—especially if your original supersoldier ages—you’ll need to figure out how to clone a clone, which is currently a challenge. While your cloned supersoldier may resemble the original, its DNA will already have accumulated additional tags and tangles. As the cells continue to specialize, the DNA becomes even more complex, making it increasingly difficult to clone.
Interestingly, some scientists have recently discovered a super-enzyme capable of managing multiple generations of tagged and tangled DNA, which could potentially allow for the creation of successive clones. However, this technique has only been successful in certain rodent species, so your clone army may have to wait—unless your original supersoldier is more akin to a small rodent.
Cloning living organisms is challenging, but cloning extinct species, like the mammoth, presents even greater difficulties. You can learn about how scientists plan to achieve this through The Great Courses Plus, which sponsored this video. The Great Courses Plus offers a vast library of over 11,000 lectures, including a course on paleontology that covers efforts to reconstruct and clone the mammoth genome.
In addition to science topics, you can explore courses on cooking, art appreciation, and stress management. To get a free trial subscription to The Great Courses Plus and support MinuteEarth, visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/minuteearth or click the link in the description below. Thank you, Great Courses Plus!
Also, congratulations to our latest caption contest winner! The next image is ready for caption suggestions from all levels of Patrons at Patreon.com/MinuteEarth.
—
This version maintains the core content while removing any informal or potentially inappropriate language.
Cloning – The process of creating an identical copy of an organism or cell. – Scientists are researching cloning to better understand genetic diseases.
DNA – The molecule that carries the genetic instructions for life. – DNA is responsible for determining the traits of all living organisms.
Zygote – The cell formed when two gametes (sperm and egg) unite during fertilization. – The zygote undergoes multiple divisions to develop into an embryo.
Enzymes – Proteins that act as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in the body. – Enzymes play a crucial role in digestion by breaking down food molecules.
Genes – Units of heredity that are made up of DNA and determine specific traits. – Genes are passed from parents to offspring and influence characteristics like eye color.
Embryo – An early stage of development in multicellular organisms after fertilization. – The embryo develops into a fetus during pregnancy in mammals.
Species – A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. – The giant panda is an endangered species that requires conservation efforts.
Tags – Molecular markers used to identify and track specific sequences of DNA or proteins. – Scientists use fluorescent tags to visualize DNA sequences under a microscope.
Mammals – A class of warm-blooded vertebrates that have hair and produce milk to feed their young. – Humans, whales, and elephants are all examples of mammals.
Reproduction – The biological process by which new individual organisms are produced. – Reproduction can occur sexually, involving two parents, or asexually, involving only one parent.
