Genetic Engineering
Professor Elizabeth Kraske
SCIN130
Introduction to Biology
September 18 2013
Genetic Engineering
After bringing myself up to date with some further research on genetic engineering or also referred to as genetic modification, here are some of my thoughts on the pros and cons. But before we jump right into it, I should tell you a little about what genetic engineering is. Genetic engineering refers to a set of technologies that are being used to change the genetic makeup of cells. You hear this and think of something like bio warfare or genetically altered animals. But don’t be scared, genetic engineering can be good. It holds potential in the health and food industry as well as the economy.
The pros of genetic engineering are actually things that you would not think of. One of those things being insulin for diabetics, yes something so commonly used is a genetic engineering marvel. Without it dozens of people would not be alive today. Other advances in the health side of genetic engineering are early detection in pregnancy. Imagine being able to detect at an early stage, embryo, that your child has for example muscular dystrophy and that it can be corrected. That being called Embryo Screening, now this only works for in vetro fertilization because they take a cell from an eight-celled embryo, that’s already been fertilized outside of the body, and examine that cell to be able to detect the presence of one or more disease-associated genetic alterations.
Moving on to the food industry. You think of food and you already know plants are genetically altered and animals such as cows are genetically altered, but you ask the question, why? The reason is to meet demand. They can genetically alter or tailor make an animal or plant so that their main characteristics are more desirable, for example a cow that weighs more than the next cow will most likely get picked for butchering because it will yield more meat. And a plant that yields more produce will make a
SCIN130
Introduction to Biology
September 18 2013
Genetic Engineering
After bringing myself up to date with some further research on genetic engineering or also referred to as genetic modification, here are some of my thoughts on the pros and cons. But before we jump right into it, I should tell you a little about what genetic engineering is. Genetic engineering refers to a set of technologies that are being used to change the genetic makeup of cells. You hear this and think of something like bio warfare or genetically altered animals. But don’t be scared, genetic engineering can be good. It holds potential in the health and food industry as well as the economy.
The pros of genetic engineering are actually things that you would not think of. One of those things being insulin for diabetics, yes something so commonly used is a genetic engineering marvel. Without it dozens of people would not be alive today. Other advances in the health side of genetic engineering are early detection in pregnancy. Imagine being able to detect at an early stage, embryo, that your child has for example muscular dystrophy and that it can be corrected. That being called Embryo Screening, now this only works for in vetro fertilization because they take a cell from an eight-celled embryo, that’s already been fertilized outside of the body, and examine that cell to be able to detect the presence of one or more disease-associated genetic alterations.
Moving on to the food industry. You think of food and you already know plants are genetically altered and animals such as cows are genetically altered, but you ask the question, why? The reason is to meet demand. They can genetically alter or tailor make an animal or plant so that their main characteristics are more desirable, for example a cow that weighs more than the next cow will most likely get picked for butchering because it will yield more meat. And a plant that yields more produce will make a
Cited: 04.10.2012. What are ‘agricultural biotechnology’ and ‘genetic modification’?. Genetic Engineering. http://www.europabio.org/what-are-agricultural-biotechnology-and-genetic-modification 2008. Embryo Screening and the Ethics of Human Genetic Engineering. Genetic Engineering. http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/embryo-screening-and-the-ethics-of-human-60561 2013. How Designer Children Work. Genetic Engineering. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/genetic/designer-children.htm May 8, 2000. The Cons of GE of Animals. Genetic Engineering. http://www.udel.edu/physics/scen103/CGZ/consofanimals.html