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  • Essay / Dolly the Sheep: a major breakthrough in the world of biotechnology

    Dolly the Sheep is the first mammal to have been cloned using an adult somatic cell through the process of nuclear transfer. This is where the nucleus of a cell (a breast cell in this case) is placed into an unfertilized oocyte, which has had its own nucleus removed. The fusion cell is then shocked, begins to grow, and is then placed in a surrogate ewe. This process using an adult somatic cell was the first ever carried out and gave rise to the sheep Dolly, considered one of the greatest scientific advances, proving that cloning from adult cells is possible. Cloning of adult cells to create Dolly was carried out at the Roslin Institute by Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut in 1996 and the successful birth was revolutionary in the scientific world because the process was so advanced for its time, improving the precedent used. microinjection technology. The science behind Dolly's creation has been subject to intense media scrutiny, due to the unprecedented attention given to the experiment. As a result, the media was able to influence public opinion and the direction science (especially biotechnology) could take, as well as the progress it might or might not make. In addition to increased media influence and attention, politicians appeared to be more interested in the science surrounding cloning and biotechnology. Dolly's success increased political involvement and had both a negative and positive impact on the direction and progress of the biosciences. For example, in 2012, biotechnology was officially known as the 8th big technology, but there were also many negative debates following the cloning of Dolly, from the perspective of human cloning, which had a negative effect on the process of biotechnology. Dolly's creation has had large-scale impacts on science, creating many negative and positive outcomes for the advancement of the subject. However, Dolly is seen as a stepping stone towards using other environments such as media and politics to advance scientific discovery. So, because Dolly's main goal was not to clone a sheep, but to improve human health, and because of the impact she had on the outside world and the advances made subsequently, I believe this goal can be achieved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Dolly the sheep was born in 1996 and was the first clone of a mammal made through the process of nuclear transfer and use of an adult somatic agent. cell. The old process used instead of nuclear transfer was microinjection. This type of technology had many limitations and until Wilmut's success with Dolly, scientists had relied on this process. Microinjections had several limitations. First, they caused an addition of genes but could not be used to remove genes, so unwanted DNA remained alongside desired DNA in a cell. Second, only a small amount of injected embryos actually gives rise to a transgenic organism (a transgenic organism is something that contains genetic material into which DNA from an independent source has been introduced). Experiments and tests carried out in the mid to late 1900s showed that only 5% of sheep, 9% of cows and 20% of pigs that underwent the microinjection process became transgenic organisms, showing how unsustainable this process is. and how muchit could be expensive. Third, the area in which the transgene is placed in the organism's chromosomes cannot be controlled because it is random. Additionally, the transgene placed in the foreign body is very sensitive to its environment, which explains the low number of successful transgenic organisms. Finally, the timing at which the transgene is implanted into the organism is critical to the production of a fully transgenic organism. Many animals used are often injected when they consist of more than one cell, subsequently creating organisms that are "mosaic," meaning they carry two different populations of cells. The cloning process to create Dolly the Sheep was a huge stepping stone to overcoming the limitations of microinjections, as it was considered a huge advancement in its field and ahead of its time, due to the lack of interest for the subject Dolly. was seen as a wake-up call. Nuclear transfer technology after Dolly's birth revolutionized the science behind biotechnology and the prospect of human modification and cloning was established. Dolly's main goal was to improve human health, and since animal DNA can be viably modified, it is believed that medicines can be produced from these animals to help humans. In addition to Dolly's primary goal, the new nuclear transfer technology was also used on other livestock to show that increased yield could be achieved through this genetic modification. Thus, showing that Dolly had also provided essential information to improve human health and more. Dolly has had a large-scale impact on the advancement of science, attracting significant media attention and scrutiny. Many scientists, including some who had worked on Project Dolly, took a look and talked about the prospect of human cloning. This sparked a fury of ethical debate over whether it should be allowed or not. This was the first time that the media could be accessed and considered to influence the progress of science. For example, The Times and Nature viewed potential human cloning as assembly-line production like that of Fordism, so they used particular slogans such as “CLONING IS MASS PRODUCTION” and “CLONING IS COPYING”. In the early years after Dolly, this was the kind of attention that the scientists and scientists behind the process received. The media has used a particular argument to limit the progress of science by believing that science is based on progress and breakthroughs. However, in the debate following Dolly's creation, it was suggested that if human cloning were allowed, it would defeat the fundamental purpose of science, that of progress. This is because human cloning ultimately prevents certain characteristics and limits the originality of each human being, not letting the human race change, adapt and progress. Views like this may have shaped the progress of science, particularly in the early years after Dolly, with media claiming that people would lose their identities if cloning was allowed and claiming that science was "going too far". far ? This prevented the contribution of academics to the public debate, because the media had become so interested in the cloning process that it had fueled public opinion and fears about cloning, this limiting academic influence. However, in the years following Dolly's birth, the media continued to support certain aspects of the cloning process in order toadvance the science of stem cell research and improve human health. Scientists had discovered that the nuclear transfer process developed when Dolly was created could use specific stem cells to implant themselves into diseased tissues and heal them without the immunological consequences that occurred in previous transplants. The media has shown interest in the stem cell research process, highlighting their benefits and claiming that they could be used to save endangered species, produce biopharmaceuticals or improve human health. So, over time, the media changed its mind about hindering scientific progress and shifted its focus to supporting stem cell research. Since this change of heart, 60-70% of the public now supports the use of stem cells for improving human health. This shows the effect that the media has had on the progress of science due to the overwhelming success and controversy that Dolly has received and created since her birth. In addition to increased media attention, there was increased political engagement in science after Dolly's birth. Politicians acted similarly to the media in the early years surrounding the stem cell research and Dolly's cloning process, showing negative reactions to the experiment. For example, in Australia in 1997 the government called for a national ban on human cloning and refused the use of federal funds to advance research. Additionally, in the United Kingdom, in 2001, the government issued the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001, which ultimately prevented the placement of an embryo into a woman that had been created other than through fertilization. This view was adopted by politicians because they shared a similar view as the media. However, it did not take long for them to change their minds and provide assistance in the development of stem cell research. This happened because scientists who were interested in stem cell research changed their practice from reproductive to therapeutic cloning. This has shown many medical benefits if fully accessible. Governments around the world have been encouraged by this change and in the UK, in 2012, biotechnology was announced as the 8th big technology. Additionally, in 2006, in the United States, the state government of Missouri amended its constitution to permit any type of embryo research that was not strictly prohibited by federal laws. Due to the shift in opinion towards the use of stem cell research, there has been a resurgence of political support and therefore money to advance this particular science. For example, in the United States, the government has provided more than $600 million for stem cell research, along with this, some states have also provided contribution, such as California which has provided $200 million. The process of creating Dolly was not understandable at the time of her creation, which hindered stem cell research. However, as scientific opinions changed to accommodate therapeutic cloning, politicians were able to see the benefits, which would not have been possible without the birth of Dolly. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayDolly the Sheep was a major breakthrough in the world of biotechnology, opening many new avenues for scientists to access and. 71–90.