Scientists trying to clone Wooly Mammoth

[voltz]

Mmmm...You want to know why they're REALLY cloning mammoths?
Do ya really, do ya? It's not for science, nor for the well-being of humankind!

Remember scientists finding the perfectly preserved, encased-in-ice, Woolly Mammoth maybe 2 or so years ago? And that little test that they did to see if Mr. Mammoth was fresh? Those delectable mammoth steaks they had? THAT'S the reason why they're cloning them, they need mooorrreeee...*drools* What do you guys think?

Well...that OR they're working with the Fashion Industry (touching ever so softly upon Zoolander) to make MammothWear the most sought after form of clothing EVAR!! Mwhahaha.

you're weird!

[BioMechanic]

It's still natural. If it's created on Earth, no matter who or what makes it, it's natural.

So the destruction of the ozone layer, the atomic bomb, deforestation, and oil slicks are natural as well?

I understand what you're saying, but personally I don't consider anything created or caused by technology to be natural.

Cloning is dangerous - even the cloning of organs, which messes around with the idea of natural selection (like the world isn't overpopulated enough). We have no idea what the possible long-term repercussions are. Besides, a cloned mammoth wouldn't really be a natural mammoth anyway, but an artificially created one, so anything scientific to be learned from it would be nothing but heresay (or ethically inaccurate at the very least).

[Chihiro]

If it isn't natural it would not be here... Natural means things that come from the earth... Even if you do something to it... It is still natural. Its just transformed... Oil is natural... It comes from the earth... Technology like metal and varies other things all come from the earth.

Trust me of course there is better ways to protect the earth with new dicoverys however this is all natural... Our minds give us the ability to create so we do it.

[Calliander]

So the destruction of the ozone layer, the atomic bomb, deforestation, and oil slicks are natural as well?

I understand what you're saying, but personally I don't consider anything created or caused by technology to be natural.

Yeah, they're all natural. They wouldn't occur if they weren't natural. Just because the atomic bomb was created by technology doesn't mean that the method and materials to do so just sprung forth from the void. The materials were there and the method was a result of research by humans.

That's my end of it. Your end is cool, too.

[Chihiro]

The only problem I have with people is that we know a lot of what we create is dangerius for our heath yet we still cause problems. Cloning we don't know anything about we might as well continue with it. Its not really effecting everyone as of yet. Certian things do effect everyone and we find ways of creating better techonology yet we never use it. It is kind of sad I most say. We are post to move up not move down.

[Calliander]

The cloning thing comes into question when we start debating the cloning of humans.

Do clones have rights? Is it moral to clone someone just to kill them and harvest the body for organ donations? And so on.

Personally, I say clone like a mofo. I want six copies of me, at least.

EDIT: And I want some of those mammoth steaks. *drool*

[Chihiro]

I think we can clone organs without full body cloning from what I read... But I don't know... Remember the film Animatrix were the idea was that we created machines that had the ability to think and understand and communicate... They wanted exceptance in our society but we messed them over really bad... Eventually we ended up destorying ourselves well almost for destorying them when all they wanted was to be friends.

Get the picture... I think cloning is the same idea as having sex and giving birth only diffrently. Your still creating life. Even though the example I gave was of a machine still plays in effect. If we denie the rights of a clone we denie the rights of life... If we create something with enough intelligence to understand right and wrong and all that other degree of understanding. Then we have an obligation to allow them the same rights.

I hope people understand that!

[BioMechanic]

Yeah, they're all natural. They wouldn't occur if they weren't natural. Just because the atomic bomb was created by technology doesn't mean that the method and materials to do so just sprung forth from the void. The materials were there and the method was a result of research by humans.

That's my end of it. Your end is cool, too.

Interesting......so you make no distinction between an artificial process and a natural process? Say in one hand you've got an organically grown orange. In the other, you have an orange that was brought into existence by cloning, saturated with preservatives, irradiated, and coated with insecticide. Would you find them to be both natural? Would you find them equal? Which would you prefer eating?

I'm not trying to be an ass - I'm honestly interested in your perspective. Nothing personal.

There was a debate a few months ago on the board about human cloning - personally I do not think clones would be the equal of naturally born humans, and should be governed by an entirely different set of ethics.

For the same reasons, I don't think a cloned animal is a natural one, which is why I'm opposed to the cloning of a mammoth.

Get the picture... I think cloning is the same idea as having sex and giving birth only diffrently. Your still creating life. Even though the example I gave was of a machine still plays in effect. If we denie the rights of a clone we denie the rights of life... If we create something with enough intelligence to understand right and wrong and all that other degree of understanding. Then we have an obligation to allow them the same rights.

I hope people understand that!

But since a clone is not the product of a natural process, it's not "alive" in the same sense as a human being who is born naturally (i.e. without the interference of technology). I would never consider a clone to be human.

By your logic, an intelligent robot should have the same rights as a human...correct? To me, that doesn't make sense.

[Gutsman]

Cloning extinct animals is cool, I mean heck, eventually this might become the only way to preserve the survival of endangered species.

How cool would it be if they can clone a dodo bird, or a passenger pigeon? It will be sort of making up for humanity's errors.

[Josh]

Perhaps humanity's errors shouldn't be made up for?