Cloning technology

I don't think we've solved the telomere problem, yet. So, even if it were legal or ethical to clone a human, they would end up with a stunted lifespan (unless the DNA was taken from an infant/child).

Our DNA is constantly replicated over the course of our lives and every time it happens the DNA strand shortens. At the end of every DNA strand is something called a telomere; a telomere has no genetic information, so when it shortens nothing important is affected.

However, if a clone were made from an adult or elderly donor, their telomeres have already shortened significantly over time and would be inherited by the clone. Once the telomere is exhausted, DNA damage begins to occur during replication and results in a condition similar to progeria (premature aging). This is why Dolly the sheep died at a young age.

/r/biology Thread