Biotechnology

An Explanation of Fukuyama’s Views on Altering Human Beings It is no question that technology, specifically biotechnology, has been advancing at a rapid rate in today’s modern world. Fukuyama’s “Our Posthuman Future” is a book focused on tackling the inevitable issues that will arise with advances in biotechnology and potential ways to solve them. In handling these problems, it is necessary to establish a baseline of what makes humans unique, and how to draw the line in terms of what is…

dangers in Oryx and Crake Bioengineering and its dangers is arguably one of the most explored and explicitly brought out theme in Margaret Atwood’s novel “Oryx and Crake”. Throughout the fiction, Atwood uses symbolism to develop the theme of biotechnology and its dangers to humanity and the environment at large. Excellent use of symbolism sees the author paint a picture of a society that is completely oblivious of the benefits tied to environmentalism. The fiction tells of a society that abuses…

GMOs, also known as genetically modified organisms, is for the most part a plant that has been altered using biotechnology to carry genes that express a desired trait. (“What are GMOs?”) In this case, genetically modified foods are biologically altered meaning scientists transfer a desire gene from a plant, animal, or organism and into another. (Kannall) This process has been used for food production. There have been many controversies about genetically modified crops and whether people are just…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1) and I believe the word was ATGCU. The primary or canonical, nucleobases are cytosine (DNA and RNA), guanine (DNA and RNA), adenine (DNA and RNA), thymine (DNA) and uracil (RNA), abbreviated as C, G, A, T, and U, respectively with their ability to selectively bind formed the basis of life on earth. In 2012 with the discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 science acquired the ability to insert, delete and replace DNA…

Does one even know what’s in their food? Read the label, try and read one one of the ingredients in the food. Not knowing what’s in the food a person eats can kill them or make them obese. Some of the thing’s companies put in the food they sell is disgusting. For instance the growth hormones that they put in their food. In an article by the New York Times they stated that, “the drug, [Bovine Somatotropin] injected twice monthly at the base of cow’s tail, is designed to increase milk…

(TechCrunch.com). Mankind is slowly inching toward a dystopian future where food shortage will trigger riots and wars. At this moment, the world is facing one of the largest challenges yet. With scientists searching for more and more solutions everyday, biotechnology seems to be the most promising answer to an imminent and threatening catastrophe. Not only do biotech crops help farmers be more efficient by reducing land needed to grow food, but…

Brévault, and Carriére; supported by the US Department of Agriculture, Food Research Initiative Grant, and USDA Biology Risk Assessment Grant during June of 2013 which compounded analysis of 77 studies, it was determined that “reduced efficacy of [biotechnology] crops caused by field-evolved resistance has been reported now for some populations of 5 of 13 major pest species examined, compared with resistant populations of only one pest species in 2005” (). Since insects and other pests are able…

When a specific genetic formula is found for a crop, biotechnology companies patent and commercialize it. For example, Monsanto’s patented strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton has led to the company controlling over 95 percent of India’s cotton market (Jacobsen). This monopoly has led to a rise in prices…

We consume them daily. In fact, they make up about 80% of processed foods that Americans eat today (). But what are they? They are Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs as it is commonly known. This is one of many applications of Biotechnology. Although it is meant for a many beneficial applications, there is a stigma with the acronym GMO. The first appearance of GMOs made the public a little eerie. With the help of media painting GMOs as a negative entity, the public instantly feared the…

additive to this, is that after all the years of producing GMOs, there have been no illnesses or harm recorded that is related to the genetic modification. Many countries around the world are in favor of the production of genetic modification and the biotechnology that goes along with it. An example of a country that is Pro-GMO is Canada. According to Grunewald “Canada shares this positive experience and takes it one step further. Compared to petroleum diesel, Canadian biodiesel produced 87-94%…