Wading In A Gene Pool
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Wading in the Gene Pool
A new era of life dawned with the Agricultural Revolution, and then the Industrial Revolution. Foreseen next, by man, is the Genetic Revolution, due to its rapid growth and development, accompanied by its trademark product; gene alteration in a can! Various groups of people feel that this is one facet of science that humans were meant to leave to God. Some simply do not agree with cloning humans, while others feel that this is science going too far. It is the scientists and engineers that have pushed the boundaries of science, and in turn, disturbed the foundation of human morals and principles. Notwithstanding the medical contributions of genetic engineering; this controversial topic is hard to categorize as either acceptable, or completely wrong. This aspect of science is progressing at a dangerous rate, which could result in an unbalance between the pros and cons of what genetic engineering offers the world.
Starting as something small; genetic engineering began to slowly branch out over the years into different categories. Soon they started weaving the technology of genetic engineering into various aspects of our everyday life. Things that were once foreign practices in the field quickly became routine procedures in analyzing DNA and isolating specific fragments from the specimens. Developing as rapidly as it was, genetic engineering was causing quite a stir in the global community. Its various branches were gaining negative reputations almost instantly. From cloning, to genetically modified foods, the idea was starting to lose credit among members of society with morals and religious beliefs. While they were looking to stop such a scientific evolution, science was coming up with its own justification. “You dont like starving in the Third World, and birth defects and disease, and environmental degradation and failing economies? Then well solve it all for you with genetic engineering because at last we found what we were looking for: the means to control, quite simply, everything -from the inside out.” (dont end the para with a quote)(yeah)
Being such a purely scientific issue, genetic engineering relies solely on its scientific methods to prove that it is a valuable and worthwhile part of life and science. It claims to be able to help various different problems, and aid in the worlds issues. “Depending on the problem, the procedures used may involve artificial insemation, cloning, invitro fertilization, species hybridization, or molecular genetics.” As they delved deeper into the problems of humanity, genetic engineering strives to offer the world further possible solutions. All the while most people still feel that they cause more problems than they attempt to solve. “Why, if regrowing damaged parts is such a wonderful idea, has natural selection not already endowed us with such a capacity? Partly, this is because natural selection usually works in the most economical way available.” Even as science continues to fabricate justifications for itself, the human rationale is consistent in its thinking, and, despite the splash genetic engineering has made in the world, its fame is becoming a threat to its performance.
Due to its increasing popularity, genetic engineering continues to progress at a ridiculous rate. People have begun to wonder as to why there be a need for this facet of science. In general, the ideas behind things such as gene alteration, cloning, and gene manipulation is frowned upon by society. People are instantly troubled by the thought of humans being able to have so much control over the way they are born or grow. “Genetic Engineering itself is in a very real sense the direct descendant of the Bomb.” After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Atomic Energy Commission began to expend funds into the field of genetics research. It wasnt very long until the movement grew and caused people to consider why scientists would study genetics. Soon afterwards there were excuses being fabricated to justify the reason behind our scientific endeavour.
People were, and still mostly are, afraid of what they feel is going against their beliefs and religions. The fact that genetic