That is, until the past couple of decades when technological advances allowed scientists to offer substantial proof that their visions were indeed viable. In a molecular sense, cloning has developed as a technique starting about 20 years ago. The process entered a new phase in Feb. 1997, when Dolly the sheep emerged as a genetic clone of a single parent. It'll happen sooner than anybody thinks. The big question is why, said Daniel McConchie, the director of operations and policy for the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, in reference to any perceived need for human duplication.
Research tends to differentiate between two types of cloning.
It's probably going to be for the rich and famous. Elizabeth Taylor wants to clone her dog, for example. But the second type of projected cloning is called therapeutic, where an adult undergoes a procedure to duplicate cells in order to stave off disease, illness, or the effects from sudden and serious injury. But for that, the embryo is destroyed. Adult cells are supposedly more limited in their uses, scientists claim, and cannot be transplanted for therapeutic reasons as easily as their less mature counterparts.