I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.<\/p>\n
Roger Spottiswoode<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering can be defined as manipulation of an organisms genes with the help of biotechnology.<\/p>\n
The first official genetic manipulation happened in 1972 by Paul Berg when he combined the DNA from a monkey virus with the lambda virus.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering is a very controversial topic in our society.<\/p>\n
There are many pros and cons regarding this topic. <\/p>\n
In the following, the advantages as wells as the downsides of genetic manipulation are examined.<\/p>\n
In order to create a genetically modified organism, scientists first have to choose what gene they want to insert into the organism.<\/p>\n
With the help of genetic screens, potential genes can be tested with the goal of finding the best candidates.<\/p>\n
When a suitable gene has been determined, the next step is to isolate it.<\/p>\n
The cell which contains the gene has to be opened and the DNA has to be purified.<\/p>\n
After isolating the gene, it is ligated into a plasmid which is inserted into a bacterium.<\/p>\n
Thus, whenever the bacterium divides, the plasmid is also replicated.<\/p>\n
This leads to a vast number of copies of this gene.<\/p>\n
Before inserting the gene into the target organism, it has to be combined with other genetic elements including a terminator and promoter region which end and initiate the transcription.<\/p>\n
In the final step, the genetic material is inserted into a host genome.<\/p>\n
After that, the genetic engineering process is finished.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering is often used by scientists to improve their understanding of how genetics actually work and how they affect our talents and our decisions.<\/p>\n
From these findings, scientists can provide insights for medical purposes and thus increase the probability of curing serious diseases in the future.<\/p>\n
There are many important areas in the field of medicine in which genetic manipulation could contribute to better treatment of diseases.<\/p>\n
This also includes the invention of more effective drugs with fewer side effects.<\/p>\n
Moreover, model animals can be genetically modified in the hope to get new insights on how these modifications would work on humans.<\/p>\n
For this purpose, using mice in order to examine the effects of genetic manipulation on obesity, cancer, heart diseases and other serious conditions is common practice in nowadays scientific work.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering is also used in the field of agriculture in order to increase yields and also make plants more resistant to pests.<\/p>\n
Moreover, even genetic experiments on livestock have been performed in the past.<\/p>\n
Apart from the use for consumption, plants have also been genetically modified for medical purposes.<\/p>\n
By changing the gene structure of plants, scientists want to examine if they could produce new drugs that can cure diseases more effectively.<\/p>\n
Genetic manipulation is also a field of interest for industrial purposes.<\/p>\n
Since through genetic engineering processes, all kinds of properties of animals and plants can be modified, this also comes down to a potential increase in revenue for firms if they are able to optimize the gene structure for their purposes.<\/p>\n
An example of this is the use of genetically modified bacteria for making biofuels.<\/p>\n
The rules and regulations for genetic engineering vary significantly across different countries.<\/p>\n
However, there is some consensus on the level of danger genetic modification poses to humanity.<\/p>\n
For example, the majority of scientists claim that there is no greater risk to human health from genetically modified crops compared to conventional food.<\/p>\n
However, before making this genetically modified food available for public consumption, it has to be tested extensively in order to exclude any possibility of danger.<\/p>\n
Moreover, some groups like Greenpeace or the World Wildlife Fund claim that genetically modified food should be tested more rigorously before releasing it for public consumption.<\/p>\n
There are some severe diseases that we will likely never be able to fight if we do not use genetic engineering.<\/p>\n
From only small manipulations of genes, it is expected that we can fight a significant number of deadly diseases.<\/p>\n
Moreover, even for unborn babies, there could be genetic diseases detected.<\/p>\n
The most prominent example of this kind of genetic disease is Down syndrome.<\/p>\n
If our scientists get quite advanced, it is likely that we would be able to cure all genetic diseases, even that of unborn children.<\/p>\n
Abortions because of the diagnosis of genetic diseases would no longer be necessary since we could ensure the babies health through genetic manipulation.<\/p>\n
Since we can fight many diseases with genetic engineering, the overall life expectancy of people is likely to increase since the dangers of death due to these diseases decreases.<\/p>\n
Moreover, if we are able to further improve our knowledge regarding genetic modification, diseases could be treated more effectively.<\/p>\n
Especially in poor countries where some diseases can cause the death of many people, also the development of genetically modified plants for medical use could be a great measure in order to mitigate the issue.<\/p>\n
We could also fight diseases which usually cause death for old people and thus prolong their lives.<\/p>\n
Moreover, we can increase their life quality since old people do not have to suffer from these diseases anymore.<\/p>\n
Thus, genetic engineering may lead to an increase in average life expectancy.<\/p>\n
With the help of genetic manipulation, we could increase the variety of foods and drinks for our daily consumption. <\/p>\n
Moreover, we could further improve the crop yields since we could create sorts of plants that are resistant to all kinds of pests.<\/p>\n
Thus, we could supply enough food to all people worldwide and fight famine in an effective way.<\/p>\n
Additionally, with the help of genetic engineering, it may be possible to create more nutritious food.<\/p>\n
This would be especially beneficial in countries where people suffer from vitamin deficiencies. <\/p>\n
If we are able to increase the level of these vitamins in crops or other foods, we could help people to overcome their vitamin deficiency.<\/p>\n
If we are able to modify the genetics in a way that they naturally become resistant against pests, we will no longer have to use harmful chemical pesticides.<\/p>\n
Thus, genetic engineering may also lead to a reduction in the use of pesticides.<\/p>\n
With the help of genetic engineering, we may also be able to create certain medical foods which may also replace some of the common injections.<\/p>\n
Medical foods may also help to prevent certain diseases. <\/p>\n
Therefore, genetic engineering could also lead to an improvement in medical standards.<\/p>\n
Through genetic engineering, it would be possible to create plant species that need less water than the plant species currently used in agriculture.<\/p>\n
By replacing the natural species with genetically modified ones, farmers could save plenty of water.<\/p>\n
This would be especially useful in regions where water shortage is a serious problem.<\/p>\n
Water shortage will be a quite big issue in the future due to global warming.<\/p>\n
If the average temperature increases, water scarcity is likely to also increase.<\/p>\n
Thus, with the help of genetic modification, water can be saved and the problem of water shortages may be mitigated to a certain extent.<\/p>\n
We may also be able to increase the speed of growth of plants and animals. <\/p>\n
By doing so, we could produce more food in a given period of time.<\/p>\n
This may quite important since our world population is growing and therefore the demand for food is increasing.<\/p>\n
Through genetic modification, we may also be able to strengthen specific characteristics of plants. <\/p>\n
This may include that plants are better able to adapt to the global warming problem or that they may become more resistant to changes in their natural conditions.<\/p>\n
Many followers of religions are strictly against genetic engineering since they think playing god should not be a task performed by humans.<\/p>\n
There are also ethical concerns if genetic manipulation should become a valid instrument for changing the course of our lives.<\/p>\n
There is also the argument that diseases are a natural phenomenon and that they have a role in nature since they persisted over a quite long time horizon of evolution.<\/p>\n
Moreover, there are many scientists who believe that the creation of designer babies could not be in the interest of humanity.<\/p>\n
If perfected, parents could choose the eye color, hair color or even the sex of the baby.<\/p>\n
This could lead to an optimization contest in our society which could also have vastly negative effects if pushed too far.<\/p>\n
Genetic manipulation can also cause genetic problems if we do not handle it in a proper way.<\/p>\n
Since science is still at an early stage in the understanding of genetics, manipulations of genes may even do more harm than good at our current state of genetic understanding. <\/p>\n
Errors could even lead to the development of new diseases or to miscarriages.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering also poses a risk to human health. <\/p>\n
For example, genetically modified food may lead to long-term health issues.<\/p>\n
There is just not enough reliable data yet on how harmful genetic engineering really is in the long term.<\/p>\n
Thus, it may pose serious health effects, some of them currently even unknown to scientists.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering may also lead to the development of allergies against certain food items. <\/p>\n
Since the DNA-structure is altered in the genetic modification process, food that has former been uncritical for people could now cause allergic reactions.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering is also used to modify plants.<\/p>\n
Specifically, some plant species have been developed which include their own pesticide which can protect them from animals and insects.<\/p>\n
In this way, scientists hope to be able to increase crop yields.<\/p>\n
However, this altering of genetic code in plants can lead to a resistance of certain insects to the pesticide.<\/p>\n
This may pose big problems to the agricultural system since if insects or other pests become resistant against toxins, they are harder to fight.<\/p>\n
Thus, in the short run, altering genetic material in plants may have its advantages.<\/p>\n
However, in the long run, there may be severe issues when it comes to resistance of pest strains.<\/p>\n
Some researchers are afraid that genetic engineering may also lead to resistance against antibiotics for humans.<\/p>\n
This may lead to serious problems since the treatment of diseases with antibiotics will not be effective anymore.<\/p>\n
Genetic engineering would also lead to a reduction in genetic diversity.<\/p>\n
Since the process of gene manipulation would be quite expensive, only rich people would be able to afford it.<\/p>\n
Thus, this would likely lead to human behavior which favors being rich over all other things in order to be able to afford genetic manipulation.<\/p>\n
As a consequence, the variety of human behavior would be reduced.<\/p>\n
Since genetically modified plants often contain own pesticides, they can be quite harmful to animals that are consuming these kinds of plants.<\/p>\n
Animals can suffer severe diseases from these pesticides and even die.<\/p>\n
This problem is especially severe for butterflies and other insects which usually rely on certain plants in their near surroundings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original:<\/p>\n
Genetic Engineering: 20 Pros & Cons You Have To Know - E&C<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me Continue reading