[Campbell Biology P.479] The passage mentions that "the main reason researchers have been tr... | Practice Question

The passage mentions that "the main reason researchers have been trying to clone human embryos is not for reproduction, but for the production of stem cells to treat human diseases." What is the primary implication of this statement regarding the purpose of cloning human embryos?

  • A: Human cloning for reproduction is now a common and accepted practice due to its high success rate.
  • B: The focus of human embryonic cloning research is on creating genetically identical individuals for societal benefits.
  • C: Therapeutic cloning, aimed at generating patient-specific stem cells for treating diseases, is the primary goal of human embryo cloning research.
  • D: Human embryos are cloned primarily to study early embryonic development and not for any medical applications.

Explanation

The statement directly indicates that the primary goal of cloning human embryos is therapeutic, specifically to generate stem cells that can be used to treat various human diseases. This is distinct from reproductive cloning, which aims to create a complete genetically identical organism.