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Effects of Genetic Engineering and cloning

We find it growing in our fields. We find it in the supermarket. We even find it in people now days. Genetic engineering is happening all over the place. People just do not know it. What is it exactly? Genetic engineering is “A way of directly manipulating genetic material in a cell organism to produce desired traits” (“Genetic Engineering”). Scientists have found many ways to manipulate genes in humans, animals and plants. Some people think that genetic engineering should not be done, others would disagree. By changing genes you could potentially harm the subject your changing genes in but you could also help it in the process.

Selective breeding has been around for years. Farmers using it for plants and animals to make their product better and give them selective traits. Giving them certain traits to help sell the farmer’s product. For example: dogs are bred temperament and appearance traits, such as coat type and color. Cows are another example of selective breeding. Angus cows are selectively bred to increase muscle mass to get more meat out of them and dairy cows are selectively bred to increase milk production. Plants have also played a factor in selective breeding. Florists have bred many flowers to get all the colors we have today.

With selective breeding comes inbreeding. Inbreeding is mating closely related organisms, such as sisters and brothers, to create desired traits. Inbreeding can cause many defects in an organism. Organisms can have many health defects within its lifetime. So scientists have found a better way to get certain traits with out as much health defects. It is called genetic engineering. ( I have to do something with these but I'm not sure what yet)

“Genetically engineered food is created by taking the DNA from one organism and inserting it into another. The process passes on certain characteristics to plants and animals. The resulting organism is called “transgenic.” This modification of gene material is not possible with traditional selective breeding“(“Designer Babies”).

Today about 70% of America’s food contains genetically modified ingredients. By scientists genetically modifying food, they could cause people to have allergic reactions to the new chemicals in the food. By changing the genes of crops or animals now, it could potentially harm millions of Americans. If you start young children out on eating genetically modified food then their body's would be used to all the chemicals. Making it less likely for them to have an allergy to our food.

Though about 20% of American’s believe they have some food allergy, only about 2% actually do. Most of the problems that arise is food intolerance. Because scientists genetically modified food it has caused something called allergens.

Genetic Engineering in plants does not seem like a bad idea. With all of the famine through out foreign countries that do not have enough food to get them through the week, genetic engineering crops seems to be the way to go. By manipulating genes in crops you can create crops that withstand many things. Crops would also have antibiotics in them to help fight off viruses and bacterias. With replacing genes into a plant you could make more plentiful and nutritious foods. Genetic engineering has also made it capable for crops to withstand pests and even produce more food. Having crops being able to withstand bugs ,and other critters that want to eat them, would mean more product. More and more crops are being modified. From 1996 to 2008 modification in plants has went up a startling amount. (graph here)

It is not just plants that get genetically modified, animals do too. Scientists have cloned, modified and xenocloned animals. About 15 years ago scientists cloned a sheep named Dolly. Dolly was created by reproductive cloning technology. Scientists took genetic material from the nucleus of the donor sheep egg cell and treated it with chemicals. The chemicals were to stimulate the cell division of the egg cell. Once the removed egg cell is in a suitable stage it is placed into the host sheep's uterus to continue to grow until birth. (“Dolly”)

Dolly was a very successful experiment that lived to the age of six. She ended up having to be put down because she contracted lung cancer and server arthritis. Was it because of the cloning? Scientists are not sure, it could possible be. It's a risk that many people are willing to take.

Another example is transgenic sheep. A transgenic sheep is a sheep that is bred for faster growing wool. These sheep go through many surgeries. First, scientists use hormones to take eggs that are artificially fertilized through a laparoscope. Then the embryos are surgically implanted into the host ewe. Scientists use something called a laparotomy which involves inserting surgical instruments through the stomach of the ewe into the uterus. Sometimes the ewe doesn't get anesthetic. There are many complications that in this experiment. Most of the embryos did not survive. In the beginning of this experiment 18% of the lambs were dead at birth and 12% did not survive longer then three days. Of all the 516 lambs that were born only 13% ended up being transgenic. The rest of the sheep were sent to the slaughter house since they were no use to the researchers. In later experiments out of 218 only 33% were transgenic. Out of those 33% only 19 survived. In the most recent experiment 6 out of 71 lambs were transgenic. Only four ended up surviving. (Pope)

Why create all these waste animals just to run experiments on? All those sheep that weren't transgenic were sent to the slaughter house. Farmers could have kept those sheep for their wool.

It is the same way with cloning cattle. Most of the cloned cattle that are born are very weak and deformed. Many of the cattle do not survive. The cattle that do live past being a calf end up having some form of defect. Why spend all of this time and money trying to clone sheep and cattle when they either end up dead or with some defect? It isn't right for the animal.

Although animals get genetically modified just like plants, so do humans. Humans don't get experimented on like animals and it hasn't went as far as cloning. Scientists have found many ways to help humans that have defects or some sort of disease.

By genetically engineering humans we could save many peoples lives. While saving those lives, we also put them in danger. By changing DNA, you could potentially kill the person you are trying to save. Scientists have studied genetic engineering in people, animal and plants, by slicing the cell they can create a new one. With creating a new cell scientists can find cures to kill cells with diseases on them.

To genetically engineer a cell scientists remove a cell, clone it, then replaces it into a different part of the organism or a totally different organism. There are two types. First there is Somatic genetic engineering, which involves adding genes to cells other then the egg or the sperm cell. The second would be Germline engineering, which involves changing genes in eggs, sperms, or very early embryos. (Wikipedia)

Manipulating genes in humans could save many lives. The primary use of genetic engineering in humans is to cure disease. By using gene therapy scientists can repair or replace defective genes to fight diseases. Over the past couple years, certain diseases have been cured such as heart and autoimmune disease. Hopefully scientists will be able to find cures for Huntington’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and cystic fibrosis that are all caused by defective genes.

Pregnant women can have their fetuses screened for any genetic problem. By screening the unborn baby, it can help parents and physicians prepare for a child with certain diseases. Scientists have also proved that they can create something called a designer baby from the screenings. A designer baby is pretty much a baby that you get to choose all of its traits. Parents now days can choose the sex of the baby, what color hair and eyes it has and how tall its going to be. Curing a baby of a disease is one thing but choosing everything?

Ethical values play a major role in genetically engineering a human. One of the biggest arguments would be losing the identity of that person or the individuality. By changing cells before a baby is born is picking out its future. All parents want there baby to be successful in its life but shouldn’t make its own decisions on things? Shouldn’t nature take it’s course in a human life?

Scientists have also placed animal organs into humans to replace faulty organs. Since pig DNA were similar enough to human DNA, scientists were able to exchange valves and even hearts. There have been successful attempts to make human insulin in pigs. In the near future, scientists will be trying to grow human hearts from pigs. Should scientists really be changing mother nature?

It’s not only pigs that are getting genetically engineered. It’s multiple animals, such as salmon. Scientists planted a trout DNA into a salmons sperm. When the female salmon laid her eggs, she laid trout eggs. Genetic engineering is a powerful way to put certain desirable traits into animals, just as they've done with humans.

In a sense, genetic engineering in humans could be a good thing or even a bad thing. Changing the life of someone or ruining it. It has been able to cure diseases and hopefully it will be able to cure more. Even if scientists have to genetically engineer fetuses before they are born.

Genetic Engineering is used a lot now days. Plants, animals and even humans. The benefits of it seem to out way the harm. You can have more crop production that can help us and help other countries. Food allergies might be a con from it but with the way things are going with experiments on crops, it’ll soon be figured out.

Animals can now produce more product also. There is more meat, milk, and wool being produced. Even though animals are a great product, they are not treated with the same respects as humans are when it comes to genetic engineering. Wouldn’t that be animal cruelty?

Human genetic Engineering should be looked at more carefully. Yes diseases are being cured but at a very slow rate. Should we risk harming everyone? Even fetuses that are not born yet are getting changed. Should we do that? Doesn’t that take away from how mother nature is suppose to pan out? Genetic Engineering can save lives but also harm them in the process.