Cloning is essentially about the fear of death and the desire to defeat it. As a result, biologist and researcher Dr. Hwang Woo-suk’s breakthroughs in the field have made him not only a famous pioneer, but also a truly Christ-like figure with the ability to figuratively bring animals – and potentially humans – back to life. through the careful use and manipulation of stem cells. However, playing God is delicate and dangerous business and King of the ClonesIt requires not only intellectual genius, but also an undoubted level of honesty that Hwang appears to be sorely lacking.
Aditya Thayi’s feature-length Netflix documentary (available now) is a prelude to the rise and fall of Hwang, a former superstar who currently deals in the genetics trade in the United Arab Emirates, cloning camels for the rich and powerful, and covets both. nature. their charm and racing abilities. Hwang himself is featured throughout the film, showing off his glittering new facility and showcasing his four-legged handiwork that made a splash in the UAE when he cloned a legendary dark-skinned show giant named Mabrukan. The Australian research director of the UAE Presidential Camel Centre, Dr. According to Alex Tinson, Mabrukan was as big as a dinosaur and so striking that he became the first person to score a full 10 points in the national competition. Today, the UAE is home to 11 Mabrukans, each more or less identical to the other and their predecessors.
While there’s no way to make an exact copy of another creature (small differences always appear, it seems), Hwang says clones are “genetic copies” and admits with great pride whenever he witnesses a new clone being born. Such bewilderment, however, is mixed with subtle horror. King of the Clones. Thayi’s film has been with Hwang from the very beginning through cuts from James Whale’s 1931 monster movie classic. It looks like Frankenstein. But it’s not for the faint of heart, and the award-winning, South Korean president’s support and support that made Hwang initially a national hero and an international scientific giant Time magazine named him one of its 2004 “Important Persons” list.
NASA’s former head of bioethics, Dr. As succinctly explained by Paul Root Wolpe, the basic cloning process involves removing the nucleus from an egg and then converting that egg from a body cell (skin, liver or kidney cell) into a nucleus. ). With a tiny Frankenstein electrical zap, the egg begins to divide and develops into an organism that is a perfect copy of the original. The resurrection was carried out in a lab by highly inspired and skilled technicians, and Hwang was on the cutting edge of this millennium’s landmark movement, demonstrating cloning skills with dogs, pigs and cows that made him a beloved celebrity. emerging modern South Korea.
via Getty Images LEE HOON-KOO/AFP
Hwang’s tremendous victories were not without controversy, with many people both at home and abroad, including in the US, viewing his work as a damnable and dangerous violation of the natural order. However, the protests weren’t enough to stop the scientific freight train it was running, especially since the promise of cloning changed the world so much. Stem cells held promise for curing diseases, recreating spare organs (like spare car parts), and effectively resurrecting the dead. Those suffering from disabilities, debilitating or incurable diseases, and painful losses can now envision a future in which they and their clans are reintegrated. Hwang herself said, “Grief is the catalyst. This is where our cloning process really begins.”
King of the Clones So distraught by the death of French bulldog Csillo and choosing to have the pet cloned, like Barbra Streisand, interventional radiologist Dr. He reinforces this view by profiling Alexander Ruebben. Ruebben speaks affectionately about his dog and shrugs off criticism of his behavior in a similar way to Hwang, who says, “You can’t ignore a road just because it’s reckless.” That may be true, but it’s not the same as having a license for irresponsible behavior, and Thayi’s film features several speakers, including science reporter David Cyranoski, who discuss the ethical implications of this field of study and controversies in the field. Unfortunately, these conversations begin just before they’re cut off, and Hwang only taps lightly on these important issues, making the doctor feel more like an overview than an in-depth study of the implications of his innovations.
King of the Clones‘ the second half is dedicated to Hwang’s eventual destruction, courtesy of 2005. Science thanks in part to Ryu Young-joon, a whistleblower and former Seoul National University Professor – the diary paper that turned out to be a fake. Hwang’s consequences were dire, and his public misconduct did little to restore his tarnished reputation; so it is now operating in the UAE. The documentary details his professional demise through various conversations with experts and colleagues, archival video, and animated cutscenes resembling comic book panels. It is a professionally installed, nonfiction package; Even the director’s standard-issue drone footage lends an air of ominous significance, adapting both to Hwang’s disgrace and the potentially dangerous impact cloning can have on individuals, families, communities, and society at large.
Although never directly stated, King of the Clones especially considering that the Chinese cloned two monkeys, which means that primates (including humans) are now replicable. Whatever the therapeutic and surgical pros, you don’t have to be Mary Shelley to see the horror of such a development; The opportunities to abuse this technology are so clear that they are huge. Still, a more thorough examination would have benefited Thayi’s film, which often serves as a superficial portrait of a scientific advance that can change the world for better or for worse, and a man who knows how to use it but can’t. must be trusted to do so.