Genetic Engineering
Gerica Roberts 822
January 4, 2012
Ms. Buie
Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used to change or modify the DNA of any subject to create a new substance or functions. This method changes the genes, in which was passed down from the biological parents.
These modified test subjects might not become super objects but they sure are wired and fixed different from the rest of the naturally made things. Techniques allows scientist to determine the characteristics of the test objects like babies meaning the gender, hair color, eye color, skin color and many more. The history of genetic engineering goes back to the time when an Austrian monk and Gregor Mendel establish genetics as a scientific field. Soon other scientist followed his works and in 1944, Maclyn McCarty and Oswald Avery Colin McLeod discovered that DNA was the carrier of genetic information. This discovery led to the extensive research of DNA and it’s properties. In 1953, a goal was made with the breakthrough science when Watson and Crick decoded the structure of the DNA. Then in 1973,
Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen created a process of slicing DNA in half and combining it with other DNA parts. While adding in other genes, they were able to make bacteria reproduce. This technique was also used for making insulin. Later in 1982, scientist successfully moved a gene from one fruit fly to another. This proved that moving genes from one species to another showed no threats. The history of genetic engineering never ceases to amaze me, but there can be harmful but helpful consequences to using genetic engineering. There are many reasons to why genetic engineering on humans has a positive effect. One central reason is the fact that genetic engineering is a disease prevention method. Some diseases like breast cancer and AIDS are passed down through heredity and genetic engineering can modify the DNA of a human to exclude or eliminate the
January 4, 2012
Ms. Buie
Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used to change or modify the DNA of any subject to create a new substance or functions. This method changes the genes, in which was passed down from the biological parents.
These modified test subjects might not become super objects but they sure are wired and fixed different from the rest of the naturally made things. Techniques allows scientist to determine the characteristics of the test objects like babies meaning the gender, hair color, eye color, skin color and many more. The history of genetic engineering goes back to the time when an Austrian monk and Gregor Mendel establish genetics as a scientific field. Soon other scientist followed his works and in 1944, Maclyn McCarty and Oswald Avery Colin McLeod discovered that DNA was the carrier of genetic information. This discovery led to the extensive research of DNA and it’s properties. In 1953, a goal was made with the breakthrough science when Watson and Crick decoded the structure of the DNA. Then in 1973,
Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen created a process of slicing DNA in half and combining it with other DNA parts. While adding in other genes, they were able to make bacteria reproduce. This technique was also used for making insulin. Later in 1982, scientist successfully moved a gene from one fruit fly to another. This proved that moving genes from one species to another showed no threats. The history of genetic engineering never ceases to amaze me, but there can be harmful but helpful consequences to using genetic engineering. There are many reasons to why genetic engineering on humans has a positive effect. One central reason is the fact that genetic engineering is a disease prevention method. Some diseases like breast cancer and AIDS are passed down through heredity and genetic engineering can modify the DNA of a human to exclude or eliminate the