Florida couple pays $155K to have dog cloned - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

euronatura · #1 01-29-2009, 01:02 PM

Even though you have money to burn, it is this type of spending habits that really amazes me!

Florida couple pays $155K to have dog cloned
Posted: 12:35 PM ET
(CNN) — Every dog has his day, but Sir Lancelot — or at least his carbon copy — has a second one.

A Boca Raton, Florida, couple paid a California firm $155,000 to clone their beloved Labrador Retriever, who died from cancer a year ago. The clone, a 10-week-old puppy dubbed Lancey, was hand-delivered to them earlier this week by Lou Hawthorne, chairman of BioArts International.

Edgar and Nina Otto said they began thinking about cloning Sir Lancelot about five years ago. “I said ‘Well, you know, it wouldn’t hurt to have his DNA frozen,’ and that’s what we did,” Nina Otto told CNN affiliate WPBF.

The Ottos were one of five families to bid and win a BioArts auction for a chance to clone their family dog, according to a BioArts statement. Lancey is the world’s first commercially-cloned dog, the company said; the Ottos are the first of six current clients to receive their clone.

aklim · #2 01-29-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by euronatura

Even though you have money to burn, it is this type of spending habits that really amazes me!

Why? To you it might be a waste of money for a 4 legged creature. To them, it might be a chance to have a member of the family cloned. If offered the chance, would I have my wife cloned? If I had the money, it would be a cheap price.

Kuan · #3 01-29-2009, 01:29 PM

If you clone a human is that human then your property?

#4 01-29-2009, 01:30 PM

Cloning whole organisms sounds like a great idea but its not, no really not a good idea at all. The problem is that when 2 people, dogs, cats...whatever mate they both contribute chromosomes while the male might carry something like a really high cancer rate on some gene the females gene covers that one up or supresses it. Now when you clone there is no such chance of gene inactivation or one gene covering or replacing another....all the negative stuff of an organism usually comes out with cloning. None of the sheep clones lived half as long as the original and had so many problems with their health......but if you're rich and stuipd who cares....

aklim · #5 01-29-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helpplease

None of the sheep clones lived half as long as the original and had so many problems with their health......but if you're rich and stuipd who cares....

So? Cloning is new technology. It isn't going to be perfect, is it? If we take the time, it might be seen that in the future, things improve?

#6 01-29-2009, 01:36 PM

Well maybe maybe not, the problem is still the expression of the bad genes "deleterious alleles" in genetic circles. Also you might now know it but you could be sentencing whatever you clone to a nasty death if the bad genes are something very painful. The other side of the problem is that there is no way whatever you clone will be the original in terms of behavior. Unless you expose it to the exact same environment and people and ect ect. It will look like whatever you cloned but it will never be what you cloned.

aklim · #7 01-29-2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helpplease

Well maybe maybe not, the problem is still the expression of the bad genes "deleterious alleles" in genetic circles.

Also you might now know it but you could be sentencing whatever you clone to a nasty death if the bad genes are something very painful. The other side of the problem is that there is no way whatever you clone will be the original in terms of behavior. Unless you expose it to the exact same environment and people and ect ect. It will look like whatever you cloned but it will never be what you cloned.

But how is that more than a technical problem that research might be able to solve?

Yes, the personality and what not will be different but to some people, a little of something is better than nothing.

#8 01-29-2009, 01:53 PM

To the best of my knowledge the cloned cells still have to rearrange genes during mitosis and meiosis and that is where the expression of the bad genes comes into play. You have a point with the little bit of something is better than nothing but the problem with this case is that its a golden retreiver they all look very similar

aklim · #9 01-29-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helpplease

You have a point with the little bit of something is better than nothing but the problem with this case is that its a golden retreiver they all look very similar

But it has some meaning to them that you and I may not understand. Is that worth $155K? Maybe not to you but to them, it might be worth that. If your kid fell into a lake, would you risk your life to save him? I wouldn't. Why? Your kid means nothing to me while it means more than life to you. Are you right in your decision and am I wrong? Hard to say.

TheDon · #10 01-29-2009, 02:23 PM

ok so the old dog died of cancer, wont the new one do the same?

its not going to be the same exact dog. it might look the same but in a sense its not the same one

aklim · #11 01-29-2009, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

ok so the old dog died of cancer, wont the new one do the same?

its not going to be the same exact dog. it might look the same but in a sense its not the same one

Maybe, maybe not. Hard to say since cloning technology is in it's infancy at this time. The more we do it, the better we will get. Someday, we might be able to clone organs so you don't have to rely on a donation with all the chances of rejection and have to take immuno suppressive drugs.

Yes but to some, it is enough but not to others.

#12 01-29-2009, 02:29 PM

Lol Don you are totally right I never read it died of cancer so yes it will more than likely die of cancer but probably more quickly. Aklim you have a point with the meaning something to them and not to me. But I fear the sort of sliperly slope this kind of thing can lead to.

euronatura · #13 01-29-2009, 02:45 PM

OK, as to the responses....

OK, clone your wife, OK, I can understand this but a dog and for that price? That is my issue. With the economy in such shambles cause of reckless spending, lack of control and so forth, it just seems like a bad choice to spend this much on cloning a dog.

Now, is it the same?

Well, that is a question that I have. Lets say you cloned this dog, how much of the dog's personality is learned behavior? Does the cloning include the memory?

Same thing on for a person? As in wife, a human is definately learned behavior, so if you clone your wife, is her memory included in the clone? Or will she just look the same, and have to go thru learned behavior?

What about skills such as reading and writing? Would a cloned human have to learn all of this?

LUVMBDiesels · #14 01-29-2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

its not going to be the same exact dog. it might look the same but in a sense its not the same one

Exactly. The old dog's "personality" won't be there. I don't see where this is any different that buying a new puppy....

Now if they could transfer the memories and personality from the original to the copy, that would be something!

aklim · #15 01-29-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by euronatura

OK, clone your wife, OK, I can understand this but a dog and for that price?

That is my issue. With the economy in such shambles cause of reckless spending, lack of control and so forth, it just seems like a bad choice to spend this much on cloning a dog.

Now, is it the same?

Well, that is a question that I have. Lets say you cloned this dog, how much of the dog's personality is learned behavior? Does the cloning include the memory?

Why would your wife be any different? Who is to say what she is worth to whom? Like I said with the kid drowning example, I may not consider it a worthwhile risk to try save YOUR kid while you may consider it a worthwhile risk to stick YOUR neck out for YOUR kid. Am I wrong for feeling that way? Are you right?

Again, to you, the expense is not worth it. But who are YOU to say it isn't worth it to them? If the $155K buys them some happiness and they say it is worth it TO THEM, what makes your opinion so valuable?

Isn't that up to the individual?

At this time, all you have is a blank slate. In the future, who knows what it could end up being? 100 years ago, things we take for granted are in the realm of magic and impossibility. Not so today.