Learn the latest (shocking) developments . A controversial company linked to a UFO sect has produced the world's first cloned human baby. Experts are amazed that cloning has worked. A controversial company linked to a UFO sect has produced the world's first artificially engineered human stem cells. Experts are amazed that cloning has worked. Stem cells are currently being used in a study showing promise of curing Alzheimer's disease. Stem cells are currently being used in a study showing promise of curing cancer...Osama discovered hiding...stem cell research...Saddam Hussein escapes...enormous financial payoff for cancer vaccine...new billionaire... beheaded while serving coffee...thousands of dead bodies... first signs of alien life...nuclear weapons discovered in Iraq... bioweapons activated in major disaster...A group of scientists carrying out research into human genetics say cloning humans may actually be easier than cloning animals. Their conclusions have been criticised by experts in Britain. The news follows a recent announcement from an Italian fertility doctor that he intends to begin cloning humans to help infertile couples have children. Many scientists reacted with horror when Dr Severino Antinori announced his intention to clone humans. Those involved in animal cloning warned of huge practical problems - many clones die early or are born with genetic deformities, and develop diseases such as cancer. Genetic difference In this latest research, scientists at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina say the cause of all these problems may be one specific gene, which is responsible for controlling the way in which cells grow. When it is not working properly, cells can grow in an uncontrolled way. This can cause cancer tumours to develop. In normal sexual reproduction a copy of this gene is passed from each parent to the offspring. But in many animals other than humans, one of these genes is turned off. The cloning process affects the remaining active gene; it cannot work properly, and so the cloned embryo grows in an uncontrolled way. Q. How would it be done? A. The model is Dolly the sheep and although the technology has been applied to several animals, it is still highly underdeveloped and the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. The scientists would remove the DNA from the nucleus of an egg cell taken from the mother. This DNA would then be replaced by the genetic material taken from one of the father's cells (or as in this case, the mother herself) - perhaps a skin cell. A trigger would be applied to the egg cell that would then make it start to divide like any normal embryo. The mother would have it implanted in her womb in a procedure which is routinely performed in IVF clinics. Q. So, what are the dangers? A. Experience with the five mammal species that have been cloned so far indicates that there would be almost no chance of success. The vast majority of pregnancies involving clones have gone very badly. In most of them, the clone has died and in almost all of them the lives of the mother and clone have been put at risk. In many cases, the clone grows abnormally large, often threatening to tear the womb that can also become swollen with fluid. Almost all clone pregnancies spontaneously abort. Dolly the sheep, the first mammal clone, was the one success in 247 pregnancies. If a human clone is produced, the cost in human suffering and the trail of failures will be large. Q. What if a human clone is born? A. Of the small number (little more than 1%) of animal clones that make it to term, most have severe abnormalities: malfunctioning livers, abnormal blood vessels and heart problems, underdeveloped lungs, diabetes, immune system deficiencies and possibly hidden genetic defects. Several cow clones had head deformities - none survived very long. It would be fair to say that experts are amazed in the few instances that cloning has worked. Q. Is it possible to choose healthy embryos for cloning? A. Screening for suitable embryos will not work. Normal babies are made from the joining of genes from sperm and egg. Genes are "imprinted" - a poorly understood process that avoids any genetic confusion between similar maternal and paternal genes. There is evidence that in clones this imprinting does not work properly. There is no way to screen any embryo to detect this problem. Q. What will happen if a clone grows up? A. We know very little about the long-term health of clones. There is some evidence that they may not live as long as conventional humans and may have health problems. Studies are ongoing. Q. Would the child be an exact copy of the genetic parent? A. Not if the donor genetic material comes from a man or from another woman. On the genetic level, the clone would be 99.9% identical to its parent, but it would not be a complete copy because there are some important genes that would be contributed by the egg donor. These genes reside outside the nucleus. Also, the clone would be subject to different environmental factors and a different upbringing to his/her genetic parent. This could result in a changed appearance and personality. If the recent research on the human genome has taught us anything, it is that we are far more than just our genes. Q. But isn't all of this illegal anyway? A. In most countries that carry out advanced biomedical research it is. In less developed countries, including some that offer test-tube baby programmes, there are no laws against it. Just taking the UK as an example, there is now a specific law to ban the placing of any embryo in a woman's womb that is not created by a fertilisation process. This was introduced a year ago. All embryo research in Britain require a licence and you simply would not get one if you said you wanted to make human clones. But remember, all of this is quite separate to therapeutic cloning. This is a more limited use of the Dolly technology to obtain important cells which could yield novel therapies for degenerative diseases. ! ! ! ! ! ! !