Cloning can have several definitions. For instance, if you take animal tissue and isolate a single cell, and then culture that cell into a population, then that is a form of cloning. When referring to genes, cloning has a different meaning. A gene is usually defined as a unit of DNA that codes for a protein, though sometimes it may just be a sequence of DNA that acts as a regulator or a gene. In cloning, in a molecular biology sense, the gene is removed from its host and transferred to another organism, where it is replicated. As the new host grows, and the "new" gene replicates, the new exact versions are considered clones. There are other definitions of cloning as well, such as in plant biology, where off-spring may be the exact replica of the mother plant. Also a form of cloning. In all cases, the resulting "clone" is genetically identical to the starting cell or gene or organism.