The per f ect copyA recent announcement by scientists that they have successfully cloned the first human embryo has caused much debate and has shocked many people around the world. On the one hand, some scientists point out that if you clone an embryo, you can produce valuable tissues and organs that could be used to save human lives. On the other hand, many people, including some scientists,disagree and fear that if mankind interfereswith nature in this way, they may be on their way to producing a real-life Frankenstein’s monster. Cloning is producing an exact copy of a plant or an animal using its cells. The first mammal to be cloned successfully from an adult cell was Dolly the sheep. She was born, in 1996 and died in early 2003, at a much younger age than normal. When she was born many people were angry because they thought cloning would create more disease in the animal world. However, in general the scientists were praised for their wonderful scientific breakthrough.The Scottish scientist who created Dolly, Ian Wilmut, is shocked that some scientists are now considering cloning human beings. Although he researches cloning, his intention has never been to create copies of humans. Instead, he thinks research efforts should concentrate on creating new tissues and organs that could eventually be used to cure diseases like cancer. However, some people consider that cloning human embryos with the intention of destroying them shows no respect for human life.Even though this use of cloning is causing a lot of anxiety, it is good news for Faye Wilson, a 41-year-old saleswoman who cannot have aNotesembryo n. 胚胎tissue n. cells from the different parts of humans organ n. a part of the body, such as the heart or the braininterfere with …have a damaging effect on…mammal n. any animal that gives birth to live babies and feeds its young on milkbreakthrough n. an important developmentconcentrate on give all your attention tobe desperate to dobe eager to dobaby. 'I am desperate to have a child of my own,' she says. ' I don't want to adopt someone else's child and I don't want to use another woman’s egg--- I want a child that is genetically related to me. If I had the chance, I would have a cloned baby tomorrow.'While cloning human embryos is illegal in many countries, some scientists are already pushing ahead with research so as to deliver a cloned human baby. Severino Antinori, an Italian doctor, is one of the leaders in this kind of research. He has declared that he wants to be the first to clone a human being.In China, scientists have focused their efforts on cloning animals, as well as stem cells to be used in medical research. China has succeeded in producing clones of cows and goats, and continues to research ways in which cloning can benefit mankind.。
