Genome

Could our truth be encoded in our genetics? We can now access information about our genomes through genetic testing through companies that analyze, and find errors in, our genome. Genetic testing can help us better understand the current health status of our bodies. It’s vital that we develop an understanding of our internal environments; especially if we seek prosperity for the future without being affected by potential health issues caused by our genetic mutations. Specific diseases (or other…

Would you change your unborn child if you had the chance? Would you want your child to have light or dark hair? Perhaps, blue eyes instead of brown or vice versa? How about his or her hobbies? What about their thought process concerning knowledge and intellect? Would you be a parent to take advantage of human gene editing to benefit your child? The purposely changing genes that are passed on to a child and future generations create genetically modified individuals. This gives the opportunity to…

Honors Ethics of Genome Editing Faculty: Jennifer L. Cruise (Biology) and Michael J. Degnan (Philosophy) Where do you draw the line between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ of genome editing? Which traits are we allowed to change, and who decides this? Will we be allowed to use gene editing to change basic human traits such as intelligence and athletic ability? Who will be able to afford gene editing? Will it make society less accepting of people who are born with genetic conditions? These are some of the…

When it comes to determining the ethicality for a human being to alter a fellow human’s DNA in the hopes of eradicating genetic disorders, every individual is going to have a different opinion on the matter. This idea is observed in the two articles; “Gene Therapy: Human Germline Genetic Modifications– Assessing the Scientific, Socio-ethical and Religious Issues” by Qiana Matthews, PhD and David Curiel, MD, PhD and “Gene Therapy: Theoretical and Bioethics Concepts” written by Kevin Smith, PhD.…

Introduction Designer babies used to be something that was only in science fiction books, but now, scientists are very close to being able to create them. There are many unknowns with designer babies such as will they be used to create healthier babies only, or will everything be about making the “perfect” looking baby. That is just one example of many. However, what could possibly be one of the most harmful consequences of designer babies is a reduced gene pool that could be caused by the…

Since 1978, when the first successful in vitro fertilization pregnancy took place, there have been numerous advancements in biomedical and genetic technologies. These technological advances have opened doors to things that were once considered the works of science fiction. From human cloning to altering gene sequences themselves, our total control over the future of our species is rapidly approaching. The question that many ask in the wake of such power being “Is this ethical?” Some people…

The sequencing begins with a single DNA polymerase is immobilized at the bottom of a reaction cell and the reaction called a ZMW (Zero Mode Waveguide). DNA is replicated by enzymes called DNA polymerase which is efficiently duplicate the entire genomes in minutes by reading the DNA and sequentially building a complementary with matching building blocks called nucleotides. DNA polymerase bound to the DNA template is anchored to the bottom glass surface of ZMW. In this sequencing, a phospholinked…

biology of today and generated new insights into genetic coding upon which today’s multi-billion dollar biotechnology industry is founded. It laid the groundwork for other scientific achievements, including modern forensics and the mapping of the human genome. All of this is thanks to Watson and Crick, and their groundbreaking discovery of “the master molecule of life” (Dahm, 2011, p. 327). Genetics Before the Discovery Before Watson and Crick’s breakthrough, in the early 1950’s, scientists…

cells in its work is the Human Genome Project. This multinational, government driven idea wanted to discover the inner-workings of the human body and how humans differ from each other by sequencing the human genome. The genome is the “instruction manual” that is “written” in the language of DNA. To sequence DNA the scientist had to create a complete map of all the genes in the human body which includes every base pair. A daunting task considering that “…The human genome contained about 3 billion…

It has a vast and rich database that contains current and archived genome assemblies of many organisms. The browser tool allows zoom in and look in detail of each chromosomes with detail annotation. The gene sortor tool allows to look for gene expression and homology. The BLAT tool allows in sequence alignment directly to desired genome [4]. “The UCSC genome browser provides a visualization interface that renders the genome sequence data as linear sequence at varying levels of granularity and…