Cloning is defined as using the cells of one living subject, plant or animal, to create another duplicate (复制的) subject. A cloned subject will be the same as its parent. This technology could be useful for laboratory studies and for creating satisfying animals.
One of the biggest disadvantages of cloning is that the technology is still so uncertain. Dolly the sheep, the first mammalian clone, was born in 1996. While she was initially successful, she died young of a disease not normally seen in sheep of her age.
Losing gene diversity is another disadvantage of cloning. Gene diversity is what keeps an entire species from being wiped out by a singular virus. If gene diversity is lost due to excessive cloning, there are no mutations to allow some of the cloned group to survive a newly introduced disease.
Another of the disadvantages of cloning is that there are a lot of moral considerations that would cause most people to protest. Another concern is the treatment of clones. Clones would have the same needs as nonclones of their species. Humane treatment guidelines would still apply.
For example, imagine what a corrupt (腐败的) officer could do with cloning. There will always be someone looking to use cloning for their own personal use, and many feel that the best way to prevent this is not to pursue cloning at all.
The disadvantages of cloning are seen by many to far outweigh any benefits that might be seen. Because of the risk involved in cloning, it is a technology that many experts say may be better left alone, at least until it is better understood.
A. This is due to the lack of gene diversity.
B. One of these ethical concerns is that cloning is unnatural.
C. There is always a risk of cloning technology being abused.
D. There are many advantages of cloning, for example, curing certain diseases.
E. However, there are several disadvantages of cloning that should be considered.
F. It helps to explain why some people naturally are taller, shorter, or more athletic than others.
G. It is still unsure whether genetic mutations (突变) might occur when an animal is cloned.
