Ye Shall Be As Gods? - Class 3, Period 3

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

"Today's topic," she said with a faint smile, once everyone had taken their seats, "is cloning." The weekend might have given her the idea to talk about this now, yes. Not that Juli had found the radio to be highly amusing or anything. And she was terribly grateful that she’d been spared any strangeness while it had been happening.

"Specifically, I want to discuss human cloning. Cloning is creating, essentially, an exact genetic replica of a human being or part thereof. In this world, at this time, full human cloning - that is, the creation of a living human being, is impossible." Juli might have been amused by this. "I am sure, quite sure, that this is not the case for all of you. In my universe cloning is quite possible."

"How many of you have heard stories about 'evil' twins? There is some truth in those when it comes to cloning. You cannot, and I repeat, cannot clone someone's personality from a purely genetic standpoint. A clone will be an exact physical replica - but variations in the upbringing can produce significantly different people despite them starting as the 'same'. Just because someone can be created to look like you, does not mean they will act like you.” Leaning against the front of the desk, Juli crossed her hands neatly over her stomach and tried not to look too amused. “No one can say exactly why any of us turn out the way we do."

"With that in mind," she continued on, glancing at each of her students for a few seconds before moving on to the next, "I'd like the class to discuss why would anyone want to clone someone when there is no guarantee of them turning out to be the person you wanted. What would be a positive side to cloning? A negative? If cloning was wide-spread what sort of an affect do you think it would have on the world over time?"

[Wait for the OCD is up! Have at it!]

Comments

Sign In

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

You know the drill by now!

Re: Sign In

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Yakushi Kabuto

Re: Sign In

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge Carson

During the Lecture

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Listen, chat, pass notes, interrupt Juli and ask a question!

Re: During the Lecture

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Oh look, another touchy subject for Jen -- this time due to the fact that she'd been harboring a small but growing suspicion that it was no coincidence that Wes and Alex had been genetically identical despite living a thousand years apart . . . both in times and places she'd been.

If it looked like she was getting increasingly agitated as the class went on, it definitely wasn't a coincidence.

Re: During the Lecture

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Juli paused by Jen's desk having noticed the agitation, and asked quietly, "Is everything alright?"

Re: During the Lecture

[peter--parker.livejournal.com]

Peter listened to the lecture with his face in his hands. Freaking clones.

Re: During the Lecture

[palestshadow.livejournal.com]

Naminé wondered for a long moment if Nobodies could be considered clones, and tried to take notes.

They all turned into sketches of herself with a red-haired girl.

Discuss!

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Cloning! Good idea? Bad idea? Why would anyone want to? What effects would cloning have on a civilization? On a personal scale, how would you feel to be cloned?

[And, also? I'll be pinging where and when I can, but feel free to invade each other's threads!]

Re: Discuss!

[multiplez]

Z looked around for someone to discuss this with. Cloning, she could do cloning. No, really. She could do cloning.

Re: Discuss!

[redintraining.livejournal.com]

Sky, who was sitting next to Z, couldn't help but smirk at her.

"This topic's your speciality, isn't it?"

Re: Discuss!

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge looks thoughtful. "What if people just cloned themselves instead of having kids in, uh, more traditional ways?" he asks.

Re: Discuss!

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

Cloning? Anemone blinked, confused. "I don't get it. A species can't evolve if it only creates exact replicas of itself. If everything else around you continues to change, you'll eventually reach a stagnation point and be unable to compete with other organisms. It's kinda stupid."

Re: Discuss!

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Kabuto pushed his glasses up, then crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "Cloning is useful if there's something you want to test and see if it will work on a specific person, if you have the time to wait. Otherwise it's pretty useless, since it's the changes in genetics that lead to different skills and abilites, and continues the adaptation of humankind."

Re: Discuss!

[practicaldevice.livejournal.com]

"Cloning technology can be useful, just as long as it's not used to actually clone full people."

Re: Discuss!

[peter--parker.livejournal.com]

"Cloning sucks," Peter said. He was direct and to the point this week.

Re: Discuss!

[palestshadow.livejournal.com]

"You might feel as though you're only someone else's echo," Naminé said softly. "That all you can or ever be has already been set by their limits."

Talk to the TA

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Once he's arrived, of course.

Re: Talk to the TA

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Kabuto was pretending the weekend hadn't happened. Besides, he had other things on his mind. This was obvious, as he seemed nearly unable to sit still, twiling his pen around and around in his fingers.

Talk to Juli

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

She's around both before and after class if anyone wants to talk to her.

OOC

[last-mizrahi.livejournal.com]

Why is it only Wednesday? Can it be the weekend now, plz?

Re: OOC

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, you aren't kidding.

Re: OOC

[redintraining.livejournal.com]

I too shall ping later, after sleeeeep.

Re: OOC

[death-of-hope.livejournal.com]

Why is it that the week after a long weekend always seems longer than a normal week? *is ded*

Re: OOC

[time-flyer-5.livejournal.com]

Srsly. I demand Friday afternoon-ness NOWKTHX.