The theme for this year's Ars Electronica Festival is LifeScience, exploring biotechnology,
genetic engineering and how these technologies will bring forth a "new definition of our
future."
For openx, DreamTech International is
showcasing Clones R Us. Clones R Us is a virtual corporation that offers a full range of
genetic services for today's consumer: they'll scan your DNA, duplicate it, produce an
embryo and deliver it directly to your door. Custom cloning, which uses personal DNA,
costs a mere $8,000. Designer cloning ranges from $5,299 (for the early Michael Jackson)
to $84, 999 (for Cindy Crawford). The high prices for the designer clones are quite
justified when you consider licensing fees.
Usman Haque and Hiromi Amano are the two minds behind DreamTech International. Usman is
here at openX and personally guided me through the purchase of my first cloned embryo.
I studied the price list and realized that the early Michael Jackson or JFK would be less
costly, yet still opted for a custom clone of my own DNA. Initially I was worried since
I was both unsure about parenthood and particularly unwilling to carry an embryo for 9
months. Usman reassured me that I would be a great parent and that he could find a
"birther" for me (she would be Liberian since that was cheaper than one with US
citizenship). I was also guaranteed that the "birther" would in no way have any claims to
the yet-to-be-born child. I finally received confirmation that my order went through and
the cost broke down as follows:
* Lab fee (custom cloning): $8000
* Licensing Fee: $0
* Cell extraction fee: $299
* Surrogation Fee: $5995
* Gender switch: $0
* Total basic cost: $14294
If it hasn't yet become clear, Clones R Us is a spoof. But according to Usman, a lot of
people haven't figured that out: he's gotten dozens of guest book messages, including
earnest questions from PhD candidates, special requests for sex slaves from kinky
fetishists, and one grief-stricken widower who wanted to know if Clones R Us could
bring his dead wife back to life!
By treating clones as a commodity, Clones R Us exposes the thorny ethical issues that
cloning will force us to confront as it evolves from fringe science to mainstream
technology.
According to Ian Wilmut, the scientist who claimed to clone a sheep named Dolly in 1997,
"It would be desperately sad if people started using this sort of technology with people."
What's your view on cloning? Should it be allowed or banned? Would a clone of Michael
Jackson be fully human? Send your thoughts on the matter to
list@rhizome.org
