Missyplicity

17 responses to “Missyplicity”

1. 

   xouroborus

   Jul 18, 2008 at 5:42 am

   1. Sam
   2. Sean
   3. Shane
   4. Salvador
   5. Sebastian
   6. Shaquille

   much better than Steve1, Steve2, Steve3….:)

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2. 

   PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

   Jul 18, 2008 at 9:05 am

   "Nature or nurture?"…. GoDoG ? O=)

   Beautiful picture, story and discovery (Missyplicity Project) Merci

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3. 

   heet_myser

   Jul 18, 2008 at 1:52 pm

   "Genetic Savings & Clone." I love it.

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4. 

   OriginalGunner

   Jul 18, 2008 at 3:38 pm

   While I’m sure there is a market for this, I’d hope the ~$150,000 people pay for this service would be put to better use.

   I just sold the last of 7 beautiful golden retriever puppies we had and each had its own individual personality. None bad of course, all brought happiness to the families that bought them.

   Goldenpups

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5. 

   Todd Huffman

   Jul 18, 2008 at 4:20 pm

   What a wonderful experience.

   @ xGunner – Sure, there are places today where that money would have more immediate benefit, but this is a worthwhile enterprise nonetheless. The technology involved has the potential to help far more people in the long run, and this is the first step towards commercializing it.

   Commercialization of science, while often vilified, really means ‘made available to the public’. I, for one, welcome an era where every human on earth has access to the same genetic technologies our pets benefit from today.

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6. 

   gorgeous bee

   Jul 18, 2008 at 4:34 pm

   Very cool…but also very weird.

   "Son, your dog died today. But it’s OK. We can make another one."

   Maybe I’m thinking: just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

   Also, did he love Missy or the body that looked like Missy?

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7. 

   heet_myser

   Jul 18, 2008 at 6:36 pm

   "Also, did he love Missy or the body that looked like Missy?"

   Tell me where is fancy bred,
   Or in the heart or in the head?
   How begot, how nourished?
   Reply, reply.
   It is engender’d in the eyes,
   With gazing fed; and fancy dies
   In the cradle, where it lies.
   Let us all ring fancy’s knell;
   I’ll begin it – Ding, dong, bell.

   Ding, dong, bell.

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8. 

   angry shock

   Jul 18, 2008 at 7:37 pm

   Given that an individual (whatever the species) is a sum of genetical AND environmental factors, apart from an apperance thing, there would be no 100% valid meaning in cloning a being, to reproduce it just as it was the original. It will never be the same. Which lead me to wonder, what’s the goal whatsoever of cloning for this purpose?

   I consider cloning can be a useful tool as you shown once what Juan Enriquez investigated about the cloning experiments here in argentina done on cows. Beyond any ethical discussion, I see it useful to clone cows or sheeps if there’s a need to (economic, biological or whatever), because for some reason cows are called: "stock". In cloning them we are NOT looking for "personality" treats of physical features (for the looks), we are not looking to replace anybody, who was "somebody" special to us. But in this case, I find it bewildering, just interesting seen as an eccentricity (which is coherent with spending so much money on that, only an eccentricity can’t be valued in money, therefore can cost a fortune if somebody wants to pay it).

   I wonder, on a more phylosophical level, what kind of mind can be shaped up, in a kid that learned since so young that a life can be replaced by a clon, a surrogate another. Does it alter the concept and value of the uniqueness of life itself, or doesn’t? Will this kid’s mind be smart enough to discern that this can be done with a dog, but not with a parent, or anybody that dies? Will this mind by extension consider that if it died, it wouldn’t matter, because their partents or friends would go "breed" another child like him and replace him?

   Do we consume people and beings? or do we enjoy them as they are, and also for the uniqueness and for knowing they are ephemeral, like all life forms are?

   They ramifications of these thoughts are enourmous. I don’t mean to go for a right or wonrg answers to the questions… but to unfold the wonderful debate it holds within. Nothing in itself is "right" or "wrong" in the end, it just "is". I like better to assume a "behold and reflect upon"attitude… specially in front of this kind of events (technological breakthroughs and their impact in peoples life)

   Sorry for the blabling! <;-)

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9. 

   OriginalGunner

   Jul 19, 2008 at 12:27 am

   I’m all in favor of furthuring cloning science, but I listened to several dog owners lamenting the loss of their pets while they picked out their puppy. I think its disrespectful to take advantage of sorrow. These new puppy owners would have sold their house to pay the vet bills and the vets will recommend any procedure to prolong the happiness of the owner and at times the suffering of the pet. I felt a great happiness discounting my puppies to the young familes who couldn’t afford what we were asking.

   Cloning brings up interesting ethics if I can clone myself. In talking to friend who is a diabetic he said he would jump at the chance for a new pancreas. Given we have to grow the pancreas in a human body, how do we ethically harvest it? Can we kill the brain in-vitro and just let the body grow. I’d wait ten years for a set of replacements. Geez, if I were rich enough that is. I bet they will do that in Korea too.

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10. 

    !MimosaMicheMichelle!

    Jul 19, 2008 at 4:32 am

    This is just too weird for me. I am for cloning an ear for example but cloning a dog is far more than I feel comfortable with. Shall we clone our children and our spouses? I know, I am exaggerating…or am I?

    I much prefer the pleasure of discovering the individual and different personality of another pet just as I would of another human being. Life is not static. Why not accept that all is in constant chance? Cloning for medical reasons makes sense to me. Then again we must monitor what it is used for.

    Interesting that the dog’s name is Mira. This is the name of the Fondation Mira or Mira Foundation in Québec which offers since 1981 guide dogs to assist people with visual, auditory and physical disabilities. (Mira is pronounced as meera, en français) Perhaps cloning the best of guide dogs would make more sense. That is a suggestion to whomever has the means to do it.

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11. 

    rocketmavericks

    Jul 26, 2008 at 9:08 pm

    Thanks for the photo Steve. I am glad you and the family made it. This picture brings back a lot of memories for me from my youth on this lake. I use to traverse it in my Grumman canoe. Did you make it on to any of the islands? This is the upper lake, which is much more interesting than the lower lake.

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12. 

    gorgeous bee

    Aug 5, 2008 at 10:49 pm

    News Article Headline: "Booger the pit bull is back! All five of him…"
    Link: news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080805/lf_nm_life/korea_clones_dc;_…

    "I had to make sacrifices and I dream of the day, some day when everyone can afford to clone their pet because losing a pet is a terrible, terrible loss to anyone."

    That is no reason/excuse to clone an animal. That’s selfish.

    It’s a short step to:
    "I had to make sacrifices and I dream of the day, some day when everyone can afford to clone their child because losing a child is a terrible, terrible loss to anyone."

    Then on to:
    "I had to make sacrifices and I dream of the day, some day when everyone can afford to clone themselves because losing one’s own life is a terrible, terrible loss to anyone."

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13. 

    gorgeous bee

    Aug 5, 2008 at 10:51 pm

    …Then on to:

    "While we are cloning him/her/it can’t we make some teeency-weeency modifications?"

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14. 

    angry shock

    Aug 6, 2008 at 12:56 am

    I like your mind, Carleton. (seriously)

    ( i promise that i I ever clone you 😉 I won’t change that about you. And the taste for good guitars -and for making a good friend while getting a used one.)

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15. 

    jurvetson

    Aug 6, 2008 at 5:35 am

    ah yes, reminds me of talks with Gregory Stock about his book Redesigning Humans and competitive human germline engineering… We used it in the Genetic Free Speech section of a class I taught with Larry Lessig.

    rocketmavericks: yes, but a bit further down the trail. There was an enticing island in the middle of Tamarack Lake.

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16. 

    gorgeous bee

    Aug 6, 2008 at 7:47 am

    From the blog post:
    Many of us subconsciously cling to the selfish notion that humanity is the endpoint of evolution. In the debates about machine intelligence and genetic enhancements, there is a common and deeply rooted fear about being surpassed – in our lifetime.

    Does that imply that our conscious mind can make better decisions than our subconscious? Are we smarter than evolution?

    But, when framed as a question of parenthood (would you want your great grandchild to be smarter and healthier than you?), the emotion often shifts from a selfish sense of supremacy to a universal human search for symbolic immortality.

    True, but science for science’s sake is great…for scientists. History has proven that technology is quite often, used for purposes other than the noble intentions that inspired them.

    Edit: We assume that in the case of animals that cloning will be sponsored by loving owners/guardians and the clones will live a great life. But, most loving pet owners don’t have the cash for such. But, dog and horse racers do. I’m not convinced that those animals live such great lives. Would they be excluded from making a stable of Secretariats for the sole purpose of racing, not love?

    Also: So what happens when a cloned person or animal that was made as a "backup" becomes self-aware? Are they still doomed to give up their liver? Can they fight for their autonomy?

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17. 

    jurvetson

    Aug 5, 2011 at 4:25 pm

    mind bending at every turn. Technological progress continually challenges our prior perceptions of purpose, identity and self. A recurring ontological shock tends to reduce our sense of importance over time.

    Meanwhile, the clones are incredibly cute! =) Here are a couple Missies at the office:
    

    and serving as EPO bioreactors in Argentina for 7 years now…
    

    Reply