Amon Gordon

Genetic Engineering

“Genetic engineering is a fact of life.” This statement is undoubtedly true. But what exactly is genetic engineering and why does it affect us? Firstly, genetic engineering is the manipulation of an organisms’ genes made possible by DNA. DNA is a hereditary substance that contains a complete set of information which determines the structure and function of a living organism. It is precisely the agent that is manipulated in the process of genetic engineering. This protein system (DNA) is basically a long string of “code words”, arranged in an orderly fashion, which contains the blue prints to creating all of the proteins in the body. It is also the single most important factor in gene manipulation. In the process of genetic engineering, one or more genes of an organism is taken out of the DNA and inserted into the DNA of another organism. This process can take place in any living creature from bacterium to human beings.

Genetic engineering is a controversial topic. To many it seems just another technological development that was bound to surface with time, however it was not until now that any form of technology held the power to create, change and formulate life. Those in favor of genetic engineering argue that since genetic codes are the determining factor in appearance, personality, health, and aging, the development of genetic engineering will certainly lead to the control and improvement of our health and quality of life. We would also be able to improve the genes of animals and plants so that these organisms can better serve the human race.

In theory, genetic engineering seems like the answer to the worlds’ problems. In the medical field, the uses of this technology appear endless. For one, through the process of gene manipulation, necessary drugs like insulin can be created and grown in large quantities, in a very inexpensive manner. Secondly, pure versions of certain treatment drugs can reduce the risk of other complications. This is the case with factor VIII. Factor VIII is a blood clotting agent missing in people who suffer from hemophilia and it has been created through genetic engineering. The advantage of the bioengineered form is that it is pure and would eliminate the possibility of viral infection. This is important because almost all people who received factor VIII before 1985 contracted the AIDS virus.

Genetic engineering can also open the door for the elimination of genetic diseases ranging from cancer to blood, liver, and lung disorders through the use of gene therapy. Other medical uses of the technology could include boosting our immune systems, making us less susceptible to sickness, and even extending our life span to over 100 years.

However, according to the supporters of genetic engineering, the medical field is not the only place where genetic engineering can have a positive impact. In agriculture, genetics can also be extremely beneficial. With the help of genetic engineering we would be able to enhance the biocompetitiveness and adaptability of crops by enhancing plant resistance to drought, salinity, disease, pests and herbicides, which together kills a large portion of crops annually. There is also the possibility of injecting plants with bioengineered viruses that would kill of bugs and other creatures that attack plants, reducing or even eliminating the need for environmentally unsafe pesticides and chemicals.

Another use of the gene manipulation of crops would increase crop yield, which would in turn lower prices and feed more hungry children. Animals can also be affected by this cutting edge technology. With genetics and gene therapy, we would be able to make animals have organs that would be quite similar to those of humans, thus making them transplantable. The gene of animals could also be manipulated to breed healthier and meatier animals. Supporters of genetic engineering believe that the process can put an end to the fear of extinction because we would be able to clone animals, which human pollution and deforestation have caused to disappear.

It would even be possible to breed faster growing trees, which would in turn allow for the repopulating of the rains forests. Lastly, genetic engineering would affect the evolution of the most precious species created, Homo Sapiens. Using genetic engineering we would be able to enhance the human genome. This for most is the scariest possibility stemming from genetic engineering. After the cloning of Dolly the sheep, scientists had the world wondering...what’s next? It is quite reasonable to say that most would agree that cloning human beings just for the sake of it would be silly, creating only negative repercussions such as overpopulation. Genetic engineering does however leave the door open for the enhancement of our species. In theory we would be able to increase intelligence therefore reducing senseless acts which are one of the major causes of crime and violence. We would even be able to increase our metabolisms and never worry about being overweight again, and people would be able to alter their appearances . In general, using genetic engineering within the human realm seems like it is the answer to gaining the enhancements that would allow us to live longer, happier and healthier lives.

After hearing the preceding advantages of the new technology, it seems as if we should be praising its benefits. However, genetic engineering comes with many downfalls. Increased production through genetic engineering could exhaust nonrenewable resources more rapidly and fail to feed a larger and more dependent human population. In Africa, and South and Central America, super breeds of crops, irrigation and hydroelectric dams, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and agripoisons exported to less developed countries produced great short-term profits but destroyed already existing, more regenerative, traditional farming practices, ultimately destroying the communities and fragile land. Natural deserts, swamps and salt marshes need to be preserved to protect biodiversity and the integrity of the Earth’s ecology. Introducing genetically engineered organisms into the environment means that these areas could be invaded by these new species therefore furthering loss of natural ecosystems.

A major concern of farmers and scientists regarding engineered crops is that they are afraid that these new plants which would be resistant to herbicides and other chemicals would breed with a nearby weedy relative and thus creating a superweed that would be resistant to herbicides. These plants would then choke out the crops. Another example of this would be with Pseudomonas syringae. This is a common bacterium on plants that causes frost to form on them. The lipoprotein coating of this bacterium is blown from the plants and soil into the atmosphere. Once in the upper atmospheric regions, these particles act as nuclei around which water collects and freezes to form ice. Some scientists consider this process absolutely essential for rain to fall. Genetic engineers are working on a strain of P. syringae that would not form frost on plants. Some scientists are concerned that these strains could conceivably cause serious climatic perturbations that inhibit rainfall and cause drought.

Genetically engineered plants pose a series of problems that would be detrimental to the environment. Many are also fooled by the idea that genetically altered crops will yield more and therefore feed the poor and hungry, yet another misconception according to opponents of genetic engineering. The process of gene manipulation is unlikely to take place in third world countries, it is mostly a factor in the agricultural economy of large, wealthy nations such as the United States, Japan and Western Europe. So the surplus of food is not serving the purpose of feeding the hungry. Genetic altering of certain plants that we consume within our daily diet may also lead to severe and even fatal reactions. The process is so new that it is virtually impossible to predict the effects it will have. Genetic engineering could also spell big trouble for traditional agriculture. If agriculture were to be based entirely on genetic engineering, this would signal the end of farming as this nation has known it from centuries ago.

Farmer’s fields are not the only places that are threatened. Scientists are looking for a way to destroy lignin, an organic substance that makes trees rigid, by use of a genetically engineered enzyme. They believe that it would be of use to clean up the effluent form paper mills or for decomposing biological material for energy. This poses a threat to forests because it could destroy massive amounts of them by eating away their lignin. Engineers could try to create organisms with a “suicide” gene so they only live for a very short time, but they would be alive long enough to do damage. These engineers and some of the leading corporations in agribiotechnology , like Pioneer, Sandoz, Imperial Chemical Industries, Dow, Ciba-Geigy, Monsanto, Upjohn, Elanco, and Pitman-Moore, don’t understand the impact that these engineered organisms can have on the existing fragile ecosystems.

It is clear that the biotechnology industry is potentially one of the most serious threats to the biodiversity and ecological integrity of planet Earth. The threat will become a reality if this technology is applied with the same values and attitude toward life and the biosphere that sanctioned and promoted the wholesale application of pesticides and the development of capital-intensive monoculture farming and forestry. But this is not to say that this new technology could not be used appropriately. For example, it could be used to engineer plants to help halt the spread of deserts; to develop microorganisms and plants to synthesize essential biologics, such as insulin and antibodies; to help in water treatment to remove pesticides (bioremidiation), heavy metals, and other industrial and agrochemical poisons.

Overall, scientists must be extremely cautious about releasing genetically engineered organisms into the environment. The deliberate and accidental release of exotic, nonindigenous plant and animal species has caused considerable harm to the ecosystem already

Another fact most people are unaware of is that genetically altered foods have already hit the markets and may even be in their local supermarkets. You would probably never know if you were eating altered corn or not and some genetic alteration of plants/crops utilizes genetic material from animals. Genetically engineered products also carry more risks than traditional foods. The process of genetic engineering can thus introduce dangerous new allergens and toxins into foods that were previously naturally safe. Already, one genetically engineered soybean was found to cause serious allergic reactions, and bacteria genetically engineered to produce large amounts of the food supplement, tryptophan, have been suspected to produce toxic contaminants that killed 37 people and permanently disabled 1,500 more. Genetically Engineered foods will also lead to and increase in pollution of food and water supply. More than 50% of the crops developed by biotechnology companies have been engineered to be resistant to herbicides. Use of herbicide-resistant crops will lead to a threefold increase in the use of herbicides, resulting in even greater pollution of our food and water with toxic agrochemicals.

Another issues is that genetic engineering is also used in a process called eugenics. Through this process, as it is being used now, human fetuses that have been identified as having hereditary disorders are being aborted. Eventually however, when geneticists can map out the entire human genome, opponents of genetic engineering fear that babies will be aborted because they have non-life threatening illnesses such as myopia or even worse, they may be aborted for such trivial things as cosmetic imperfections or for possessing a gene which predisposes them to homosexuality. In labs all around the country genomes are being created for sole experimental use. Basically, we are producing these creatures who have no other value to us than to say they were products of genetic engineering. Those opposing the process argue that what’s next is that we will be throwing babies away because they are rejected products of a genetic engineering project gone wrong

In all actuality, it seems as if genetic engineering represents the ability of humans to take into their own hands the ability to initiate certain human environmental occurrences that previously only nature could be held responsible for. Gene manipulation poses many ethical and social concerns along with serious challenges to the environment, human health, animal welfare, and the future of agriculture. The primary concern of those in opposition to genetic engineering is that there are no guarantees. Genetic engineering represents a whole new world of questionable outcomes and possibly dangerous results.

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