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Geneticist for Cloning
New cloning techniques have made what was once believed impossible now possible. These
new technologies allow for the extraction and purification of minute amounts of fossilized
DNA, which is then activated, amplified, and replicated before being used for in vitro
fertilization. In 2001, a baby Asian gaur (ox-like animal) was the first animal to survive
an interspecies cloning procedure. Even though the baby only survived two days, it was
successfully cloned from the cell of a dead gaur that was implanted into a cow's egg before
another cow acted as the surrogate mom. What a fantastic opportunity! - to be in on the ground
level of a major scientific discovery that could potentially make up for humans' tendency to
destroy life. You'll need to decide if this is our chance to save lives, which certainly
through no fault of their own suffered extinction in the geologic past? You'll need to
investigate how much there would be to fear in bringing dinosaurs back from extinction,
right? What kinds of "monsters" could arise, and how much could you, as geneticists,
actually control? You've been thinking about how to explore this point for the Judges.
Also give some consideration to the ways in which society is altered - nay, improved! -
by scientific advances. Experimentation and exploration are, after all, the hallmarks
of the human enterprise. Cloning techniques, including the most recent and up-to-date
techniques being developed in your lab using modern birds, will need to be explained to
the Judges using lay terminology so that they can fully appreciate cloning benefits.
Part of your thesis will show the Judges how experimenting with dinosaurs could even
one day save the human race from … well, from what exactly? Your goal is to convince
the Judges to approve the cloning of dinosaurs because of the numerous, extraordinary
ways - citing specific examples! - in which scientific exploration can enrich society.
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