JennDFK

And I thought glofish were odd... This one just seems wrong....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090428/...ea_cloned_dogs

aquarist48

I read that on another news site. I think it was AOL news. They had a few pics. I just don't see a need for it myself but.....

sirdarksol

It's not about need.
"We do what we must, because we can."
There are always people who think that if we are capable of some scientific feat, then we must perform it.
There are also people who think that if we can create something "cool," then we should, so they can buy one.

MeGustaUnaPez926

Those dogs don't even look like clones! They're different colors and patterns in daylight. I also think they should each have their own name, they're acting like the dogs are robots which can just be called 1, 2 and 3!

Zoreta

The slightly different coloration is probably due to changes in the womb, the same way that twins can be genetically identical, yet have slightly different eye color, or one could grow faster than the other. Factors such as some puppies nursing longer than others or some experiencing a disease the others lack can affect how the pigmentation changes with age, as well.

Plus: They've seen that they can alter genes with a wider variety of mammals, meaning that it could, with time and luck, be adapted for human use. This could mean a way to replace defective genes that would normally be fatal with normal, healthy ones.

Minus: People could argue slippery-slope, but I don't really see any except that the dogs probably won't get the best life, living in a lav environment. Still, keeping the dogs happy would keep them alive longer (a stressed dog is more disease prone), so I can't tell about the welfare of the dogs.

fishchick

That just seems wrong ! Stupid Chinese people , just mess with science and the poor dogs are the victims !

sirdarksol

A few things:
First of all, this isn't China, it's Seoul, Korea.
Second, excess/stupidity in science is not limited to any one nation. America and Europe have had their fair share of such issues.
Third, it isn't fair to judge an entire nation on what a small number of scientists do.

I agree that this "experiment" is, at the very least, excessive, however.