THE AGE OF CLONING

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Nobody at Roslin or PPL is talking about cloning humans. Even if they were, their procedure is obviously not practical--not as long as dozens of surrogates need to be impregnated for each successful birth. And that is probably a good thing, because it gives the public time to digest the news--and policymakers time to find ways to prevent abuses without blocking scientific progress. If the policymakers succeed, and if their guidelines win international acceptance, it may take a lot longer than the editorial writers and talk-show hosts think before a human clone emerges--even from the shadows of some offshore renegade lab. "How long?" asks PPL's James. "Hopefully, an eternity."

--With reporting by Helen Gibson/Roslin and Dick Thompson/Washington