# A clone is born **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 27, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106 "2002-12-27T05:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/1 "2002-12-27T05:12:13Z")
According to [this report](http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5753772%255E2,00.html), the world’s first cloned baby was born on Thursday. I can’t help wondering where the Raelian sect gets the kind of serious money required to clone 5 people. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/2 "2002-12-27T05:14:49Z")
This makes cannibalism the wave of the future. Clone yourself a nice side of Steve! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/3 "2002-12-27T05:22:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hastur \* > **This makes cannibalism the wave of the future. Clone yourself a nice side of Steve!** “Steve?”… Doesn’t sound appetizing at _all_. Something more refined, like Winston, maybe. Oh, hell. I’m gonna return to vegetarianism! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/4 "2002-12-27T05:47:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eats\_Crayons \* > \*\*“Steve?”… Doesn’t sound appetizing at _all_. > > Something more refined, like Winston, maybe. > > Oh, hell. I’m gonna return to vegetarianism! \*\* And you eat crayons! 😃 Would kids be veal? ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/5 "2002-12-27T05:55:24Z")
The kids would be veal, and would be kept in pens, befitting their station in life. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/6 "2002-12-27T05:59:08Z")
Uh…why so little media attention? This is only one of the greatest moments in the history of science… What’s up with the Raelians? They look like the world’s largest Apocalyptic cult ever (55,000 members?) This article seems TOO WEIRD TO BE TRUE I have a feeling it is all bs. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/7 "2002-12-27T06:03:56Z")
Well, it’s on [CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/12/27/human.cloning/index.html) also. They say there will be a big announcement tommorow. So all the ‘greatest scientific achievement ever’ comments should be postponed until then. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/8 "2002-12-27T06:07:10Z")
Here’s [another story](http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAJYQWAX9D.html) on the race to produce the world’s first human clone. You can find out more than you ever wanted to know about the Raelians [here](http://www.rickross.com/groups/raelians.html). ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/9 "2002-12-27T06:32:37Z")
Splanky, you’ve answered your own question. You’re not seeing much because it may be exactly as you suspect: All bullshit. And even an announcement by the Chief Lord Raelian himself that they have cloned a human doesn’t mean shit. Until they allow an independent lab to test both mother and alleged clone under strict conditions, then it’s meaningless and it deserves only the briefest mention. ---
**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/10 "2002-12-27T14:29:42Z")
Also worth mentioning: cloning has a high probability of failure (276 failed attempts before Dolly) and creating birth defects. If any of these young’uns have any serious problems, Chief (almost typed Chef…) Pooba Raelian would have a great interest to keep the identity of these kids secret. Allowing scientists to prove the link also means allowing them to observe and potentially report the problems = bad press for those making the clones. Solution: promise to keep the identities of the mothers and youngsters secret under concerns for “privacy”. Incidentally, you just have to love the name of the company Clonaid. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/11 "2002-12-27T15:16:27Z")
Say, wouldn’t the woman they’re calling the clone’s grandmother actually be her mother? Also, did the woman bear her own clone? That’s… kinda weird… raising narcissism to a whole new level… ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/12 "2002-12-27T15:29:22Z")
I find the whole thing to be disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/13 "2002-12-27T15:32:48Z")
“Say, wouldn’t the woman they’re calling the clone’s grandmother actually be her mother? Also, did the woman bear her own clone?” Did you see the story about the woman who was the donor for her daughter’s husband’s artificial insemination before? It would be like that I guess… Also, according to the tv news, it be a week before the analysis is complete on whether they are clones or not. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/14 "2002-12-27T15:59:06Z")
Anyone ever read Anna Rices book Servant of the bones? Call me crazy(everyone else does) but for some odd reason, this kind of reminds me of it… you know, the whole “prophet” thing… I just hope this Rael guy doesn’t try and destroy most of the world, as in the book… ---
**Author:** ![SmileyDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SmileyDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmileyDeath)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/15 "2002-12-27T16:01:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by reprise \* > \*\*According to [this report](http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5753772%255E2,00.html), the world’s first cloned baby was born on Thursday. > > I can’t help wondering where the Raelian sect gets the kind of serious money required to clone 5 people. \*\* Awesome. Just imagine a clone(s) of my posting on the SDMB- pure intellectual paradise I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/16 "2002-12-27T16:08:20Z")
> [@](#): > > A clone is born It won’t be too long before they start attacking. ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/17 "2002-12-27T16:13:29Z")
Holy fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/18 "2002-12-27T17:23:01Z")
Oh, they’re Canadian. That explains it. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/19 "2002-12-27T17:28:07Z")
When I turned on the news and saw the woman, before I saw who or what was going on, I thought, \*What is on with her hair? Did a Rock Star die? \* Oh, she’s a \*doctor \*. :rolleyes ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106/20 "2002-12-27T22:11:31Z")
Hey, the Raelians are good people. Free love, lots of nudity in their pamphlets, what’s wrong with that 😉 But as for the ‘scientist’ they’ve picked to prove their claim… well, he’s got a lousy track record. Michael Guillen used to work for Good Morning America-- and couldn’t rule out psychokinesis, Kirlian photography, cold fusion, precognition… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-clone-is-born/145106.md?page=2)