The Benefits Of Genetic Engineering Essay, Research Paper

The Promise of Genetic Engineering

A miss is born without Tay-Sachs disease, a devasting familial upset that has decimated a batch of babes worldwide. A leukaemia patient has faulty bone marrow replaced with healthy bone marrow that was cloned from tissue from her ain cells. These futuristic scenarios are non portion of the argument for familial technology but they should be. Many people are afraid that person will clone Hitler or some evil individual, but that is far from the fact. Familial technology can be used to do many facets of human life better, including salvaging lives.

The rapid development of humanity s ability to command the cistron will finally take to a promising hereafter for the full planet as a whole. Genetic technology resulted non from the belief that nature should be manipulated and perfected by humanity. Rather, its rule purpose is, as of any other engineering, to better the quality of life for the people of this planet. Therefore, it is necessary to weigh the benefits and effects of this comparatively recent discovery and determine in which ways it can be used to humanity s best advantage. This address will look into the ways in which familial technology affects two of import countries in today s society. The first one will be the betterment of the universe s agricultural techniques. With an ever-increasing growing in universe population, the Earth s resources are invariably going scarce. The coming of familial technology may be used to debar the happening of world-wide dearth and famishment. The 2nd 1 investigated will be in the field of medical development and survey. Currently, familial diseases are decimating the universe s population. Thousands of people have already died without a individual worthy intervention or remedy. Worldwide credence and support of this engineering would help in our conflict against these diseases.

Harmonizing to the United Nations medium projections issued in 1990 ( Population Council, 1994 ) , the planetary population will be increasing from 5.3 billion in 1990 to 8.5 billion in the twelvemonth 2025. Consequently, there will be a much greater demand for nutrient, hence speed uping further the ingestion of Earth s resources. To accomplish this, it would be necessary to extensively utilize agricultural engineering. However our current usage of pesticides and other chemical fertilisers pose a serious evironmental menace. Using familial technology would finally cut down the sum of potentially unsafe chemical substances we introduce into the environment. It would every bit good do nutrient production more efficient hence cut downing distribution costs. Thankss to familial technology, Geneticists are presently able to make a immune strain of the ordinary supermarket tomato ( Pendick, 1992 ) . Using a technique called antisense genetic sciences, the cistron that is responsible for leting tomatoes to soften and mature can be transformed to bring forth the opposite consequence. The one million millions of tomatoes that go arounding all around the universe can therefore be made to defy the normal maltreatment of shipp

ing and conveyance, and besides holding a longer shelf life. This pattern could be applied to all other kinds of fruits and veggies. This would let for less of a waste of nutrient therefore, seting less of a strain on human resources.

Diseases and familial defects have ever been a major cause of concern for our society. Antibiotics, which used to be successful against pathogens, are now get downing to go useless since the viruses have become immune to the medicines administered.

Therefore a proposed option is the usage of familial technology or more specifically, cistron therapy, to bring around diseases at the DNA degree. This method is known as biotechnology and can help in the intervention of diseases like a endocrine defiency. Currently, a common diagnostic pattern with unborn foetuss is the procedure of familial showing. A needle is inserted into the womb of the pregnant adult female and is used to pull out some amnionic fluid. As a consequence, several hundred diseases and defects can be diagnosed before birth ( Office of Technology, 1990 ) . Therefore parents can take to hold an abortion if they do non desire their kid to hold a defect. For over two centuries, inoculation has changed really small from the clip of Edward Jenner, the first doctor to hold of all time tried the method on a human being ( Yong Kang, 1989 ) . But this procedure has now become disused because by killing the virus, it is more likely to mutate into a more immune strain for which is incurable. As a consequence, every new strain would necessitate a new vaccinum bing more money and clip. A new method of bring forthing vaccinums is presently being studied and involves recombining the Deoxyribonucleic acid of the virus so that it will non be able to reproduce. This would be every bit effectual as a regular vaccinum except without the opportunity of mutant.

If familial technology becomes unrestricted the universe would go a better topographic point. Worldwide dearth and famishment could perchance stop through the usage of engineering in the agribusiness field. The decease rate would travel down and really dramatically in Third World states. We could see the terminal of diseases like AIDS and conditions like haemophilia.

If you are interested in back uping familial technology you can compose to your congresswoman and inquire him or her to vote down the limitations on familial technology. You can besides do a request a send it to your governor.

Plants Cited Page

Coates, Joseph F. The Promise of Genetics. Futurist September/October 1997:

18-22. Sirs Researcher. Online. Netscape. 9 April 1998.

Office of Technology Assessment, Biology, Medicine, and the Bill of Rights, ( 1990, September 1 ) . Chapter 4A Human Genetics and the Constitution, U.S. History. Bureau of Electronic Publishing.

Pendick, Daniel. Industry Serves Up the Fruit of Tomato Biotechnology, Science News 11 Nov. 1992: 376

Population Council, The, ( 1994 ) . Population, Microsoft Encarta 95. Funk and Wagnall s Corporation

Yong, Kang C. Vaccine Production by Recombinant DNA Technology. Pergamon Press 15 Feb. 1993: 39-62