Cloning: A Misunderstood Scien

            
            
             The purpose of this essay is to raise the level of competence of those with a college level of education who have preconceived misconceptions about cloning.
             Thesis:.
             Society quickly judges that which they do not understand. If we [mankind] are to survive, we must open our minds and at least try to understand those ideas that seem new and frightening.
             Cloning: A Misunderstood Science.
             Movies, such as Multiplicity, have tarnished the science of Cloning. Contrary to the popular belief that has been embedded in the minds of this world, it is impossible to create an exact duplicate of a person. You cannot clone yourself so that instead of going to work, you can play golf. Cloning is very real, but most research has no intention of ever creating a cloned person. The science of cloning instead utilizes stem cells which have two important characteristics. First, they have the ability to divide for long periods of time, creating more stem cells. Second, they are unspecialized, meaning that have the ability to become specialized, developing into 'heart cells', 'nerve cells' or 'blood cells'.
             Three types of stem cells exist, and will be discussed in the context of human development. After sperm fertilizes an egg, a zygote formes which has the potential to develop into a complete embryo. The fertilized egg is a totipotent stem cell; it has the potential to create any type of cell necessary for embryonic development (this included extraembryonic membranes and tissues, the embryo itself, and all postembryonic tissues and organs). In the first few hours after fertilization, the fertilized egg undergoes several cell divisions that produce identical totipotent cells. Because these cells are still totipotent, any one of these cells has the potential to develop into an entire human being.
             The totipotent cells undergo several rounds of cell division. Approximately four days after fertilization, they begin to specialize and form a blastocyst.