Human cloning research a fake
Last year, a South Korean research group claimed to have created the world’s first cloned human embryos - which shocked scienticists, ethical research bodies and the general public, but possibly for quite different reasons! However, according to a recent inquiry this data was faked, and in fact their only real achievement (which is still not to be sneezed at!) was cloning a dog, a world first. (No doubt well received by all the misguided people out there who have frozen Fluffy at great cost in the hopes of recreating him in the future.)
That means that, for better or worse, the challenge is still out on the table to create the world’s first human clone. (It did occur to me that this could be a conspiracy to cover up and discredit work that the Government ™ doesn’t want known. But we’ll put that down to too many X-File episodes…)
Of course, I’m not convinced that this is research that should be pursued. But then again, the reality is that someone is going to do it, sooner or later - I think we’ve pretty much established that if it can be done, it will be, one way or the other. And maybe it’s ethically wrong to clone a human, but perhaps under certain situations we’re realise that it would a very handy thing to be able to do. Or, perhaps this research will lead to new techniques or medical technologies we haven’t thought of. Regardless, I would be surprised if we don’t hear a similar announcement in 2006 - true or otherwise!
(Yes, that’s an awful lot of fence sitting. I don’t really have a clear opinion on this one, in case you haven’t realised!)
And highlight of my day? The university Ice Creamery has reintroduced their deluxe range of icecreams, including the divine Oreo Cookie Icecream. Mmmm…