How is a clone created?
“Nuclear transplantation” is the procedure through which clones are created. Researchers take a cell from the adult animal they want to clone. The nucleus of this cell contains the animal’s genome — i.e., the DNA that contains the instructions to make a new individual. Next, an unfertilized egg is taken from a female of the same species, and its nucleus is removed. Researchers then insert the nucleus from the adult cell into the egg, essentially replacing the egg’s DNA with that of the animal being cloned. The donor cell’s nucleus is fused with the egg cell by passing a small electric current through the cell. A series of chemicals is then added to trick the egg into “thinking” it’s been fertilized. If this is successful, and the egg starts to divide, its future growth and development is determined by the unique genetic instructions in the transferred nucleus. In other words, the egg grows into a genetic copy of the animal from which the nucleus came. This cloned embryo will grow in t
