So I wondered, is cloning ever a natural process? Is there anything that clones itself naturally? Is that even possible? Would this change my opinion about cloning? Well a select group of tropical ants seem to have answered my question. The ants do not reproduce and are unable to mate for the lack of a "mussel organ" (1). So instead they clone themselves. A group of scientists became concerned when they found no males in an ant colony. Turns out each and every ant in the colony is female and has the exact DNA as the queen. These ants are the first species to ever to reproduce naturally without sex (2). The sex organs of all the ants have virtually disappeared. Yet the ants have disadvantages too. Since they all have the same DNA, they are highly susceptible to pandemics (3). If a virus were to kill on ant, all of them would be likely to die of the same virus since they have the same immune systems.
Now this sparks some concern. If theses female ants can naturally clone themselves does that make the process of cloning animals in a lab natural? I believe these ants have changed my opinion a bit. It seems to me that if animals were forced to adapt in a certain way they would. So as humans we could adapt to the process of cloning. These ants do what is considered in the modern day an unnatural process that sparks the question of "playing God." Yet they do it naturally. If an animal can clone, can't we?
1. "Scientists Discover Asexual Female Ant Colony - Science News - redOrbit." RedOrbit – Science, Space, Technology, Health News and Information. 19 May 2009
2. "BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Ants inhabit 'world without sex'" BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 19 May 2009
3. "Rare All-Female Ant Society That Reproduces By Cloning Discovered." Impact Lab A laboratory of the future human experience. 19 May 2009