Essay on Genetic Engeneering

Free Genetic Engeneering papers

Give And Take
Give and Take Where do you stand on the mistreatment of animals? Are you completely against hurting animals, so much so that you would never eat meat or use them for research to cure deadly human diseases? Animals are not objects that hold no rational thoughts. They are living beings, but when you

Global Cop
What should the U.S. foreign policy be concerning military intervention in Kosovo? NATO, comprised mostly of United States Forces, has determined the moral and ethical solution is to intervene and prevent the annihilation of a race of innocent people. NATO decided to intervene after Serbian mili

The New Future

Technology has been growing at a tremendous rate. From the telephone, to the car, to the airplane, to the computer, and finally the internet. This is just a very brief history of technology, but it shows how much it has benefited us. The sole purpose of technology is to improve the lives of society. The next addition to the technology time-line will be genetic engineering. Although we are very hindered in the knowledge of genetic engineering because of ethical reasons, the known possibilities are endless. It can solve many of the earth's problems, medically and agriculturally. Lack of knowledge about this subject has people scared and close-minded. Physicist and historian of modern science, Gerald Holton, said, modern men and women "who do not know the basic facts that determine their very existence, functioning, and surroundings are living in a dream world are, in a very real sense, not sane." If people were more aware of the possibilities of genetic engineering, they would be more open to the endless line of improvements it can bring. Therefore, the most important goal of technology should be to explore all the possibilities of genetic engineering and make them a reality.

Genetic engineering is a very broad topic. It covers many directions in changing the genetic material in a living organism. Merriam and Webster define it as the use or manipulation of an individuals genetic material in order to produce desired characteristics or results in the same individual, other individuals of the same species, or other species. When people hear the words genetic engineering they automatically think cloning. Cloning is just one of the aspects that will improve society. Genetic engineering branches out over many aspects of life. It covers medicine, agriculture, the economy, and even court cases.

The first area that genetic engineering will improve is medicine. Genetic cloning has led to many new discoveries in the treatment of AIDS, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and even neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. By studying diseases at a molecular level, scientists can find the cause of the disease. A therapeutic gene that helps cure the diseases listed above has been added to the list of possibilities under genetic engineering. Genetic cloning has also improved the possible reduction of cancerous tumors. By inserting healthy genes to replace defective or missing genes, the cancer cells could be slowed enough to stop the spread of cancer. Another possibility of cloning would be the creation of new organs for someone who is in need of a transplant. The organ could be cloned from someone matching the person's type. This allows the person to get the organ they need without waiting for a replacement. Scientists can also study narcotic addiction at a molecular level and get a betting understanding of it. This will allow them to treat people efficiently who have become addicted to drugs. Genetic engineering also allows scientists to study the genetic makeup of people in the past by studying their blood and DNA.

The second aspect of life that genetic engineering will improve is agriculture. Scientists can administer new hormone into livestock in order to increase the production of milk and meat. Cows can be genetically engineered to produce more milk. Crops could be engineered to grow in all conditions. In theory this will wipe out food shortages all together. Our economy will grow...