Cloning?

[senter.pat]

Why didn't visser three clone the andalite body? It wouldnt have had morphing powers, but still would be a powerful host.

[morfowt]

clone it, how?

[sluggerrocky123]

simple -

would you rather a powerful host body
or
a powerful host body with the ability to morph

if i had the option id most likely want to morph wouldnt you?

[morfowt]

I mean how would you clone it? are you saying the yeerks have a cloning device I've never heard about...

[Phoenix004]

It's possible they might have had the technology to clone the Andalite body, but why on Earth would Visser Three want to do that? He already has an Andalite host (with the morphing power) and he has no reason to clone it.

[Chad32]

Maybe to give other Yeerks Andalite hosts. Actually, if they had that tech why wouldn't they do it on Horks? We Humans can already clone things, though we also made laws against it.

[JFalcon]

Actually, if they had that tech why wouldn't they do it on Horks?

Beat me to it 
The above point does imply that the Yeerks don't appear to have the kind of technology to clone in large numbers at least, or why breed the Hork-Bajir, let alone fret about how long it takes to do so, as they do in Visser? I do think that they could clone however, I mean if we can do it then they can do it just because they'd be able to infest someone who knows how, I don't think there's many public knowledge human technologies the Yeerks wouldn't have been able to get at.

I think another reason might have been that it'd be a blank Andalite body, perhaps with instincts but not with memories, the Yeerks often rely on the memories of their hosts to go about . . . things. A cloned host might have been too inexperienced (so to speak) for infestation. That's a weak reason because the Animorphs operate with just animal instincts, but then again they have their own human and Andalite ingenuity to rely on and according to Andalite propaganda Yeerks aren't super imaginative.

[EmberGryphon]

Also, we're incapable of cloning things that don't have serious health problems and, usually, dramatically shortened life spans. ^^ So the Yeerks wouldn't be much better off takin' our technology. Moreover, no matter how much effort it is to breed a Hork-Bajir baby, you're pretty much definitively better off than you would be cloning it- it took 277 attempts at transfering the specific sheep's DNA into ovum to create Dolly the sheep. 29 of them managed to make embryos. Three of those embryos survived to birth. Only one of them survived to adulthood. She lived about half of a sheep's lifespan.

Our latest attempt at cloning, according to Wiki, was a water buffalo that died when it was five days old.

One would think the Yeerks would have better technology than our's, but perhaps they just steered away from biology. ^^()

[AniDragon]

Not to mention, even if the clone managed to be healthy, it would age at a normal rate. You wouldn't suddenly have another Andalite or Hork-Bajir the same age as the original, it would start off as a baby. Thus, at least in the Hork-Bajir's case, it wouldn't go any faster than breeding them.

[senter.pat]

Man my original point was that visser could clone himself, in order to create new hosts for other yeerks. The thing about them having any experience, and thus not a useful host. They would most likely be held for yeerks in a position of power. It couldve been an interesting fan-fic book. The animorphs face off against an army of andalites.

[anijen21]

Not to mention, even if the clone managed to be healthy, it would age at a normal rate. You wouldn't suddenly have another Andalite or Hork-Bajir the same age as the original, it would start off as a baby. Thus, at least in the Hork-Bajir's case, it wouldn't go any faster than breeding them.

From what I understand, that's the problem with cloning--DNA ages as well as the body. It mutates and dies as long as it's used, so if you're making a brand new baby from a middle-aged specimen's DNA, there are going to be problems.

I always kind of figured they bred Hork-Bajir, and especially Taxxons, since those seemed rather susceptible to being suddenly, you know, eaten and all.

Man my original point was that visser could clone himself, in order to create new hosts for other yeerks. The thing about them having any experience, and thus not a useful host. They would most likely be held for yeerks in a position of power. It couldve been an interesting fan-fic book. The animorphs face off against an army of andalites.

I think the reason Visser Three never did this is the same as the reason he didn't automatically infest any of the Animorphs whenever he caught them (which really would have put a damper on the whole "hiding out as guerrilla Andalites" thing.) He liked being the only Andalite-Controller. He wasn't a Napoleonic genius, but he certainly realized that more Andalite-Controllers took away a lot of the allure and power of being the only one. And since he believed the Animorphs were Andalites, he always waited far too long to infest them, or seemed rather more content just torturing them/putting them in metal boxes/monologuing to them. So if he'd rather LET THE ANIMORPHS ESCAPE than infest them, why would he willingly clone his own host's body to make more Andalite-Controllers?

[Phoenix004]

If they could perfect it then it would be a good idea as if the host has no memories or real personality, they won't have to worry about the host fighting for control.

On the other hand, I think Visser Three likes being the only Andalite Controller. He usually tried to kill the "Andalite Bandits" rather than infest them, and any time he mentioned infesting them was probably just to scare them.

[senter.pat]

I always kinda thought that the taxxons just stayed on their homeworld and bred on thier own. I dont think the yeerks have to worry about it. They are allies, not involuntary.

Your probably right about the whole visser wanting to be the only andalite controller, he tried to infest them a couple of times. I think in book 2 he was going to take rachel to get infested. Or was it tortured? hmmm...

[Chad32]

I didn't know clones had major health problems and short lifespans. That really puts a damper on things.

Visser Three doesn't know jack about biology anyway. Evidenced in the book where he tried to make amphibious Hork-Bajir.

[morfowt]

I didn't know clones had major health problems and short lifespans. That really puts a damper on things.

Visser Three doesn't know jack about biology anyway. Evidenced in the book where he tried to make amphibious Hork-Bajir.

how about #28? would that count as a biology or a philosophy ignorance?