Clone

An exact copy. In medicine, the term usually refers to copies of cells, genes, or organisms. Clones of cells are all descended from one original cell. In many types of cancer, cells are thought to be derived from one abnormal cell. Clones of genes are duplicates of a single gene. In research, several copies of a gene can be made to enable the gene to be studied in detail. Clones of organisms are produced by removing the nuclei from cells of a donor individual and transplanting them into the egg cells of another individual. When the eggs mature into living plants or animals, they are all identical to the donor.

 

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