Nakharar Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 CCMB ready to clone Onges HYDERABAD: The Boxing Day tsunami threatened to wipe out the Onges, with a population of just 100 in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, but even if it had done so, cloning technology could have retrieved the semi-nomadic tribe from extinction. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) director Lalji Singh says his staff can clone the Onges from the blood and DNA samples of the tribe collected by the centre in recent years. "We can use a surrogate mother from a closely related tribe to clone the Onges," Dr Singh told The Times of India. However, cloning of human beings is not legal. The mission to collect genetic data and blood samples of the vanishing tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar islands was undertaken five years ago by CCMB, in association with the Anthropological Survey of India. It was during this period that genetic samples of the Great Andamanese, a highly endangered tribe, were taken. While CCMB is confident about the Onges and the Great Andamanese, it is not so sure about three other tribes from the Andamans, the Jarawas, Sentinelese and Shompens. CCMB and ASI undertook the project to study the primitive tribes of the Andamans and develop a gene bank. Though the project had the permission of the government of India, and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) funded the project, the local authorities did not cooperate much in the project. The CCMB was not allowed to draw blood samples of the Jarawas, whose numbers are down to just 266. So it could collect only their buccal (the mouth cavity) smears. Without the blood samples, the CCMB does not have a gene bank of the Jarawas. Similarly, CCMB was not allowed or was unable to collect blood samples of the Shompens, a highly endangered tribe, and the Sentinelese, who are known to be hostile to outsiders. "We are concerned about the future of these tribes. In the light of the damage cause by the tsunami, we would like to once again work with the ASI and collect the blood samples of the remaining Andamanese tribes," Lalji Singh said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/981976.cms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormig Posted January 10, 2005 Report Share Posted January 10, 2005 I don't really see the point in cloning tribes and micro-races. Languages, dialects, yes. But not this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakharar Posted January 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 The point is you can't do it. As for "cloning" languages, dialects and even cultures that's even more improbable than the first. Should we be saddened by the demise of these cultures and nations? What value do they have if any? Some people are just trying to prolong the inevtiable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormig Posted January 11, 2005 Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 Well, I didn't mean to say cloning languages per se. More like preserving them. Still, though, it is possible to serve mankind through the study of languages, evolution of culture, history, etc. Preserving the genetic make-up of tribes AND beyond that helping propagate the continuation - it's like teaching a dead language to a population to revive it. Efforts could be put to better use, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakharar Posted January 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2005 I agree. There is no point in preserving these groups. Not that anybody cares for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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