Genetic Engineering, History And Future Essay Example For Students

Genetic Engineering, History And Future Essay Science is a creature that continues to evolve at a much higher rate than the beings thatgave it birth. The transformation time from tree-shrew, to ape, to human far exceeds the timefrom analytical engine, to calculator, to computer. But science, in the past, has always remaineddistant. It has allowed for advances in production, transportation, and even entertainment, butnever in history will science be able to so deeply affect our lives as genetic engineering willundoubtedly do. With the birth of this new technology, scientific extremists and anti-technologists have risen in arms to block its budding future. Spreading fear by misinterpretationof facts, they promote their hidden agendas in the halls of the United States congress. Geneticengineering is a safe and powerful tool that will yield unprecedented results, specifically in thefield of medicine. It will usher in a world where gene defects, bacterial disease, and even agingare a thing of the past. By understanding genetic engine ering and its history, discovering itspossibilities, and answering the moral and safety questions it brings forth, the blanket of fearcovering this remarkable technical miracle can be lifted. The first step to understanding genetic engineering, and embracing its possibilities forsociety, is to obtain a rough knowledge base of its history and method. The basis for altering theevolutionary process is dependant on the understanding of how individuals pass oncharacteristics to their offspring. Genetics achieved its first foothold on the secrets of naturesevolutionary process when an Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel developed the first laws ofheredity. Using these laws, scientists studied the characteristics of organisms for most of thenext one hundred years following Mendels discovery. These early studies concluded that eachorganism has two sets of character determinants, or genes (Stableford 16). For instance, inregards to eye color, a child could receive one set of genes from his father that were encoded oneblue, and the other brown. The same child could also receive two brown genes from his mother. The conclusion for this inheritance would be the child has a three in fou r chance of havingbrown eyes, and a one in three chance of having blue eyes (Stableford 16). Genes are transmitted through chromosomes which reside in the nucleus of every livingorganisms cells. Each chromosome is made up of fine strands of deoxyribonucleic acids, orDNA. The information carried on the DNA determines the cells function within the organism. Sex cells are the only cells that contain a complete DNA map of the organism, therefore, thestructure of a DNA molecule or combination of DNA molecules determines the shape, form, andfunction of the organisms offspring (Lewin 1). DNA discovery is attributed to the researchof three scientists, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and James Dewey Watson in 1951. Theywere all later accredited with the Nobel Price in physiology and medicine in 1962 (Lewin 1). The new science of genetic engineering aims to take a dramatic short cut in the slowprocess of evolution (Stableford 25). In essence, scientists aim to remove one gene from anorganisms DNA, and place it into the DNA of another organism. This would create a new DNAstrand, full of new encoded instructions; a strand that would have taken Mother Nature millionsof years of natural selection to develop. Isolating and removing a desired gene from a DNAstrand involves many different tools. DNA can be broken up by exposing it to ultra-high-frequency sound waves, but this is an extremely inaccurate way of isolating a desirable DNA section (Stableford 26). A more accurate way of DNA splicing is the use of restrictionenzymes, which are produced by various species of bacteria (Clarke 1). The restrictionenzymes cut the DNA strand at a particular location called a nucleotide base, which makes up aDNA molecule. Now that the desired portion of the DNA is cut out, it can be joined to anotherstrand of DNA by using enzymes called ligases. The final important step in the creation of anew DNA strand is giving it the ability to self-replicate. This can be accomplished by usingspecial pieces of DNA, called vectors, that permit the generation of multiple copies of a totalDNA strand and fusing it to the newly created DNA structure. Another newly developedmethod, called polymerase chain reaction, allows for faster replication of DNA strands and doesnot require the use of vectors (Clarke 1). The possibilities of genetic engineering are endless. Once the power to control theinstructions, given to a single cell, are mastered anything can be accomplished. For example,insulin can be created and grown in large quantities by using an inexpensive gene manipulationmethod of growing a certain bacteria. This supply of insulin is also not dependant on the supplyof pancreatic tissue from animals. Recombinant factor VIII, the blood clotting agent missing inpeople suffering from hemophilia, can also be created by genetic engineering. Virtually allpeople who were treated with factor VIII before 1985 acquired HIV, and later AIDS. Beingcompletely pure, the bioengineered version of factor VIII eliminates any possibility of viralinfection. Other uses of genetic engineering include creating disease resistant crops, formulatingmilk from cows already containing pharmaceutical compounds, generating vaccines, andaltering livestock traits (Clarke 1). In the not so distant future, genetic engine ering will becomea principal player in fighting genetic, bacterial, and viral disease, along with controlling aging,and providing replaceable parts for humans. Medicine has seen many new innovations in its history. The discovery of anestheticspermitted the birth of modern surgery, while the production of antibiotics in the 1920sminimized the threat from diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and cholera. The creationof serums which build up the bodies immune system to specific infections, before being laid lowwith them, has also enhanced modern medicine greatly (Stableford 59). All of these discoveries,however, will fall under the broad shadow of genetic engineering when it reaches its apex in themedical community. Life Through My Eyes Essay The evolution of man can be broken up into three basic stages. The first, lasting millionsof years, slowly shaped human nature from Homo erectus to Home sapiens. Natural selectionprovided the means for countless random mutations resulting in the appearance of such humancharacteristics as hands and feet. The second stage, after the full development of the humanbody and mind, saw humans moving from wild foragers to an agriculture based society. Naturalselection received a helping hand as man took advantage of random mutations in nature and bredmore productive species of plants and animals. The most bountiful wheats were collected andre-planted, and the fastest horses were bred with equally faster horses. Even in our recenthistory the strongest black male slaves were mated with the hardest working female slaves. Thethird stage, still developing today, will not require the chance acquisition of super-mutations innature. Man will be able to create such super-s pecies without the strict limitations imposed bynatural selection. By examining the natural slope of this evolution, the third stage is a naturaland inevitable plateau that man will achieve (Stableford 8). This omniscient control of ourworld may seem completely foreign, but the thought of the Egyptians erecting vast pyramidswould have seem strange to Homo erectus as well. Many claim genetic engineering will cause unseen disasters spiraling our world intochaotic darkness. However, few realize that many safety nets regarding bioengineering arealready in effect. The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed under theNational Institute of Health to provide guidelines for research on engineered bacteria forindustrial use. The RAC has also set very restrictive guidelines requiring Federal approval ifresearch involves pathogenicity (the rare ability of a microbe to cause disease) (Davis, Roche69). It is well established that most natural bacteria do not cause disease. After many years ofexperimentation, microbiologists have demonstrated that they can engineer bacteria that are justas safe as their natural counterparts (Davis, Rouche 70). In fact the RAC reports that there hasnot been a single case of illness or harm caused by recombinant engineered bacteria, and theynow are used safely in high school experiments (Davis, Rouche 69). Scientists have alsodevised other methods of preventing bacteria from escaping their labs, such as modifying thebacteria so that it will die if it is removed from the laboratory environment. This creates a shieldof complete safety for the outside world. It is also thought that if such bacteria were to escape itwould act like smallpox or anthrax and ravage the land. However, laboratory-created organismsare not as competitive as pathogens. Davis and Roche sum it up in extremely laymens terms,no matter how much Frostban you dump on a field, its not go ing to spread (70). In factFrostbran, developed by Steven Lindow at the University of California, Berkeley, was sprayed ona test field in 1987 and was proven by a RAC committee to be completely harmless (Thompson104). Fear of the unknown has slowed the progress of many scientific discoveries in the past. The thought of man flying or stepping on the moon did not come easy to the average citizens ofthe world. But the fact remains, they were accepted and are now an everyday occurrence in ourlives. Genetic engineering too is in its period of fear and misunderstanding, but like every greatdiscovery in history, it will enjoy its time of realization and come into full use in society. Theworld is on the brink of the most exciting step into human evolution ever, and throughknowledge and exploration, should welcome it and its possibilities with open arms. Works CitedClarke, Bryan C. Genetic Engineering. Microsoft (R) Encarta. Microsoft Corporation, Funk ; Wagnalls Corporation, 1994. Davis, Bernard, and Lissa Roche. Sorcerers Apprentice or Handmaidento Humanity. USA TODAY: The Magazine of the American Scene GUSA 118Nov 1989: 68-70. Lewin, Seymour Z. Nucleic Acids. Microsoft (R) Encarta. MicrosoftCorporation, Funk ; Wagnalls Corporation, 1994. Stableford, Brian. Future Man. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1984. Thompson, Dick. The Most Hated Man in Science. Time 23 Dec 4 1989:102-104Words/ Pages : 3,096 / 24