Questions about genetic engineering

[Gardamorg]

If you were to put a Gorilla under 50 G's and crush him into a pulp, and then take blood samples and clone him, would the clone last longer under 50 G's then the original Gorilla?

If you were to give a female doses of strength educing toxins that a male could not withstand, and give her female offspring even higher doses, and then give her daughter even higher doses, would the third generation's son be able to handle higher doses than a regular male, or just as high a dosage as his great great grand mother?

If you were to replace the gene in humans that allow their muscles to grow with the gene in Rhinoceros Beetles that allow them to be able to support 850 times their own body weight, would that human be able to support 850 times his own body weight?

[GAHD]

re: #1 probably not, but if you grew the clone in the higher g's it would have stronger build to deal with it. 50 G's is just a little extreme though, I'd wonder at a heart's ability to pump under that kinda constant pressure.

re#2 if the drugs are in the system and do not cause abortion or other ill effects, the descendants would likely develop a stronger immunity, though weather genetic changes would result is a good question.

re#3 it's not just one gene that controls muscle growth and structure. Likely such a gene would not be cross-transferable. See mightier mice, and super mice for some interesting reading on the matter.

[Gardamorg]

probably not, but if you grew the clone in the higher g's it would have stronger build to deal with it. 50 G's is just a little extreme though, I'd wonder at a heart's ability to pump under that kinda constant pressure.

What I mean is, will the genes and the cells in the blood samples record the cause of the Gorilla's death and try to rebuild him better and more immune to that cause? I know that the Cell's can't grow him back, but the cloning machine does that part.

It's like giving evolution a second chance.

[GAHD]

It's never been done so I can't say for sure but, probably not.

[mynah]

The theory that acquired characteristics could be passed on genetically was proposed by Lamarck before the laws of heredity were known. In the mid-20th century a Soviet scientist, Trofim Lysenko, used the same reasoning to try and set up wheat farms in Siberia, with disastrous consequences.

Even so, the answer is not a simple no. The gorilla cells that do not get crushed and can be cloned may be genetically more resistant to pressure than others. A few traits have shown lasting environmental (epigenetic) effects on inheritance: In one trial it was shown that women born to starving mothers tended to have low birth-weight babies.

As far as replacing the genes conferring strength is concerned... Keep in mind that humans, even without genetic augmentation, can still lift greater weights than rhinoceros beetles!

[Gardamorg]

Originally Posted by mynah

As far as replacing the genes conferring strength is concerned... Keep in mind that humans, even without genetic augmentation, can still lift greater weights than rhinoceros beetles!

But if an Atlas Beetle was the size of a human, and had the physical body of a human, then it could lift far greater weights than ten of the strongest men put together.

[mynah]

Certainly some insects are impressively strong relative to their body weight, but you have to keep a few other things in mind. The strength of an insect derives in part from its body shape, which would have been impractical in a man-sized animal. (An exoskeleton and spiracles, for example, would be impractical on large scale, as it would not be possible for a man-sized body to obtain enough oxygen in our existing atmosphere with such a shape.) Secondly, it has been found that strength relative to body size relies partly on body size. Still, it is worth studying why some beetles are stronger than others of the same size!

[Geneticist12]

#1 blood samples taken from a gorilla do not contain the entire genetic structure for cloning
#2 a clone is simply geneticly the same, if you raise one to be stronger than the other the stronger one would win
#3 why do you ask?

[Gardamorg]

Originally Posted by Geneticist12

why do you ask?

In that particular question, I wondered if the man who killed Superman, Doomsday, a fictional comic book character could really exist.

To create Doomsday scientists shot a baby into a harsh climate with powerful extra terrestrial organisms, which killed him instantaneously, and then the scientists took samples from the babies corpse and cloned him, and shot his clone back into the harsh climate, hundreds of thousands of times they killed the same baby, but it evolved natural defenses over a long period of time. It later became Doomsday, the man who killed Superman, I was fascinated by this Doomsday.

[Michaelangelica]

Interesting show on genetic engineering on TV tonight

Animal Pharm - Food For Thought
8:35pm Tuesday, 03 Jun 2008 Documentary CC G
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/video/preview.htm#top

Genetic engineering, cloning and stem cell research are revolutionising the world we live in. Every single day the boundaries of understanding are being pushed back, and science fiction is becoming science fact. This outrageous but timely series Animal Pharm, brings these shocking innovations together under one roof.

Episode one explores how science is changing the food that we eat. From double-muscled bulls to featherless chickens, this is breeding on a whole new level. Stepping into the world of transgenics, we encounter rabbits with a jellyfish gene in their DNA (they glow in the dark), and salmon engineered to grow four times faster than normal.

We meet the all-new Enviropigs, which carry a man-made gene that makes their manure environmentally friendly, and check out genetically modified 'golden rice', which, according to its creators, could save millions of lives in the developing world.

Next we enter the world of cloning, where endless copies of an organism can be made, like a biological photocopier. We witness the astonishing process of cloning in action, and meet Charmayne James, the $1million cowgirl, who's just cloned her legendary racehorse, Scamper.
Also showing on ABC

Animal Pharm - Food For Thought - ABC1 Television Guide