Meet ANDi (inserted DNA spelled backward), the first genetically modified rhesus monkey. Cloned by embryo splitting, ANDi was a step toward designing new treatments for human genetic disorders.
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Charles Darwin poses in a wicker chair in 1875. Darwin's insight into inherited characteristics and their impact on survival contributed greatly to genetic thought.
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Cindy Cutshall, shown here, was one of the first people in the world to benefit from gene therapy. Born with ADA, a fatal inherited disorder, Cutshall received transplanted genes to compensate for her defective inherited ones.
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Dr. Francis Crick, Dr. James Watson and Dr. Maurice Wilkins, left to right, were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for medicine for their discovery of the structure of DNA.
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Dolly, the famous genetically cloned sheep, was seven months old when this picture was taken in 1997. She was the first animal to be genetically cloned from adult cells. Since the success with Dolly, scientists have cloned many other large animals, including bulls and horses.
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Shown is Gregor Mendel's microscope on display at the "Gregor Mendel: Planting the Seeds of Genetics" exhibit in Philadelphia in 2008. Mendel, an Augustine monk, did pioneering work on inheritance in many plant species.
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These five piglets were born as a result of cloning using adult cells in 2000. It was the first time cloned pigs were successfully produced from adult cells.
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DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a complex nucleic acid molecule composed of two strands of nucleotides joined together forming a double helix. It is the primary genetic and hereditary material of nearly all living organisms.
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Corn is among the foods today that are genetically modified. The practice is controversial due to concerns over possible toxicity to humans.
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American biologist and geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan, of Pasadena, Calif., is shown in this undated photo. Morgan, who confirmed the laws of heredity by discovering how genes are transmitted through the action of chromosomes, won the 1933 Nobel Prize.
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This illustration shows a visual breakdown of how the cell manufactures proteins. Our genes actually contain the instructions for making proteins, which perform various cellular functions.
Image Credit: U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs
These human heart stem cells (colored blue) are being used to repair rat heart cells damaged from a heart attack (colored pink) at a laboratory in Johns Hopkins Hospital on Sept. 2, 2005.
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Want to know more about your genes? At the Navigenics store in New York City, you can sign up to have your DNA tested for various diseases and conditions. You can't purchase new genes, though!
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A genetic map is complex to look at. In the DNA configuration shown here, a patented sequence has the potential to block progress for researchers with limited funding.
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Could we clone organs that would be exact genetic matches, eliminating the need for donors? Scientists could potentially clone organs using stem cells, but as with any type of cloning, the idea is controversial.
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Telomeres (seen here in white) cap the ends of human chromosomes, protecting the genetic information from damage. If telomeres did not exist, when cells divided, the ends of chromosomes would be lost, along with all the information they contain.
Image Credit: Image courtesy the Human Genome Program
Because chimpanzees are genetically similar to humans and display many humanlike traits, they have been the subject of many tests and experiments over the years. However, the use of chimpanzees in captive research has raised plenty of controversy.
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This technician is examining DNA sequencing gel as part of the DNA profiling process. DNA sequencing technology is a vital part of the Human Genome Project, and it's also useful in biotechnology, forensic biology and diagnostics.
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Can genetic research and technology be dangerous? Modern genetic science provides us with unprecedented power to manipulate organisms. In the wrong hands, it could be possible for that power to lead to the creation of devastating bioweapons.
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White tigers, like these shown at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad in 2008, are individual specimens of the ordinary tiger (Panthera tigris), but they have a recessive gene that affects the color of the hair shaft. Like Siamese cats, white tigers have an enzyme in their fur that causes them to become darker in the cold.
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Don't want to say goodbye to your dog or cat? You might be able to get a carbon copy. Bernann McKinney was the first person to buy a commercially cloned pet after scientists at Seoul National University cloned her deceased pit bull terrier in 2008.
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Is it OK to tinker with nature to create the perfect child? "Designer babies" are babies whose genetic makeup is specially created by genetic engineering to ensure the absence or presence of specific traits. Of course, this is probably the biggest genetic controversy yet, raising plenty of moral and ethical questions.
Now that you've see our Controversial Genetic Experiments Pictures, check out our list of the 5 Most Cloned Animals!
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