The process used to create an exact genetic replica of another cell, tissue, or organism is called what?

The process used to create an exact genetic replica of another cell, tissue, or organism is called what?

• A. Cloning
• B. Budding
• C. Mutation
• D. Hybridization

Answer: (A)

Cloning is the process used to create an exact genetic replica of another cell, tissue, or organism. In biology, cloning can occur naturally, as with identical twins sharing the same genome, or it can be done in the lab using techniques such as somatic cell nuclear transfer, where the nucleus from a donor cell is placed into an enucleated egg and develops into an organism with the donor’s genetic material. Dolly the sheep is a famous example of this lab-created cloning method. The other terms describe different ideas. Budding is a form of asexual reproduction that can produce genetically identical offspring in some organisms but isn’t the standard term for making an exact genome copy in a multicellular organism. Mutation refers to changes in the DNA sequence that generate variation, not a perfect copy. Hybridization involves combining genes from two different species or varieties to create a new hybrid, not an exact genetic duplicate.

Cloning is the process used to create an exact genetic replica of another cell, tissue, or organism. In biology, cloning can occur naturally, as with identical twins sharing the same genome, or it can be done in the lab using techniques such as somatic cell nuclear transfer, where the nucleus from a donor cell is placed into an enucleated egg and develops into an organism with the donor’s genetic material. Dolly the sheep is a famous example of this lab-created cloning method.

The other terms describe different ideas. Budding is a form of asexual reproduction that can produce genetically identical offspring in some organisms but isn’t the standard term for making an exact genome copy in a multicellular organism. Mutation refers to changes in the DNA sequence that generate variation, not a perfect copy. Hybridization involves combining genes from two different species or varieties to create a new hybrid, not an exact genetic duplicate.