On Fri, 14 Apr 2006, naheniL boB wrote:
2347: How can a clone be a different gender from the original? I don't think I was napping *that* much during my genetics classes. :)
Depends how much genetic manipulation is possible. If you can pick chromosomes one by one, you can pull out the Y chromosome and drop in a duplicate of the X that it's paired with -- that gets you a female clone of a male donor.
That greatly increases the risk of a genetic problem, by reinforcing a negative trait in the X chromosome. You could avoid that problem by using a different X chromosome from someone else -- that would give you something that's only 45/46ths a clone, but maybe that's okay. Or you could do more detailed nanosurgery on the chromosome itself, to repair individual problems. That's higher tech, of course.
You might be able to use the same technology to cut down an X chromosome into a Y, thus making a male clone of a female donor. In general, a Y is an abridged X, although there are certain to be details we don't know about yet.
--Z -- "And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..." * If the Bush administration hasn't subjected you to searches without a warrant, it's for one reason: they don't feel like it. Not because you're innocent.