Pros and Cons of Genetic Manipulation

comparable to humans on a genetic level. The United States and Gabon are the main two nations that permit experimentation with chimpanzees (ProCon.org). “95% of animals” utilized in experimentation are not “protected by the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which excludes birds, rats and mice bred for research, and cold-blooded animals such as reptiles and most fish” (ProCon.org). Based on my research and my own personal experience, I found that there are several pros and cons. I believe that…

In the course of over sixty years great strides have been made in genetic science: the discovery of the double helix in 1953 and the cracking of the genetic code in 1966. Denise Caruso of the Hybrid Vigor Institute in a 2008 essay stated that synthetic biology ‘bioengineers’ use biobricks “an inventory of parts…” can be used to “assemble and programmed to compel organisms to operate in specific ways” or create “custom chemicals that can later be ‘harvested’ from cells and sold” (1). A very…

Eugenics is a type of genetic engineering that was intended for the improvement of the human population through artificial selection and gene editing technologies to increase the frequency of advantageous or desirable characteristics. The idea of eugenics to improve human conditions, in the form of embryo manipulation, has been debated in many scientific and cultural communities for various reasons. One of them being its effect on society, specifically the societal views of genetically improved…

Genetic engineering, also called biotechnology, is a science in which genetic material is altered, transformed, and modified in various ways in order to manipulate certain characteristics of certain organisms or populations of organisms. Emerging in the 1970’s, this new technology is a study of genetics, heredity, and can be applied to plants, animals, and humans. Stated by Stephen P. Stich in Genetic Engineering: Opposing viewpoints: (p.74) “Genetic Engineering poses moral and social dilemmas…

research, there is always a pro and con to every situation. By analysis of every beneficial aspect, it is revealed that Biotechnology has benefited not only our society, but our pets as well. Throughout our lives, we experience…

Genetic modification is a widely debated subject since there is so much known about it yet so much that is still unknown. Some people don’t even know what genetically modified food is and how it came about. It was best said by John Donovan when he said “…nature has many unknowns, but one certainty is that tomatoes and fish do not have sex with each other” (Donovan). The experiment he is referring to is one of the most infamous early attempts at genetic modification. After Donovan said this quote…

have paved the way to new scientific achievements, such as genetic engineering. This involves the manipulation and change of genetics in a living organism by changing its DNA (Morris 137). This new type of engineering has led to the modification of crops, finding cures for genetic diseases, and even the cloning of animals, which could eventually lead to humans. Although this seems like the answer to most of our problems, the topic of genetic modification has caused controversy in politics and…

Are the benefits of synthetic biology significant? Pros: Synthetic biology holds major benefits for humanity and promises much. It promises better drugs, less thirsty crops, greener fuels and even a rejuvenated chemical industry. Synthetic biology can help fight climate change and pollution. It has the potential to reduce the dependence on oil and to address climate change. Developed microbes would produce oil, giving a renewable fuel that could be used interchangeably with gasoline without…

(Stachura, 2008). Due to previously hearing more cons of animal testing than pros, I was surprised that animal testing has saved consumers from critical harm, since so few people have died during clinical trials themselves. There have previously been a few instances where animal testing was not done on a substance which resulted in the death…

Cloning is the process of creating similar genetically identical cell, tissue or individual organisms such as insects, plants or bacteria in a lab that would otherwise naturally occur in nature. Cloning is a science that has been around since before Dolly the sheep was created in a lab in the 1997, a sea urchin was cloned in 1894, it ties into many different aspects in life and is soon to be a very common thing in society. Since, and even before, Dolly the sheep scientists have been able to…