What is cloning

The idea of human cloning was science fiction when it was first imagined. But in the last few decades, technological and scientific advances have made this a real possibility. Although the ethics of cloning a human are questionable, the technology has led to some promising reproductive and health therapies. 

The most basic definition of cloning is the creation of an exact genetic copy of an organism, tissue, cell or gene, according to the U.S.

National Library of Medicine. The how and why of cloning really depends on what is being cloned. There are three main types of cloning: Gene cloning, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning. 

Related: How stem cell cloning works (infographic)

The most commonly applied type of cloning is gene cloning.

Gene cloning diagram

At its most basic, gene cloning is a biochemical reaction that takes place in every single cell in every organism. It's the creation of a copy of genetic material from an existing strand of genetic material. This natural reaction can be recreated in the lab and is an essential tool for many asp

how is a gene cloned

what are the 4 steps of gene cloning