Molecular Biology Blog Debate - Just Because We Can, Should We?

Human Genome Should NOT Be Altered Genetically modifying the human genome has been a dream and a nightmare for scientists, ever since it’s completion in 2003. Some argue this ‘Big Biology’ breakthrough is the start of improvements in human genetic diseases and cancers, but some may say otherwise. The genome should be kept the way it was made, for several reasons: Since the entire human sequence was only recently discovered, scientists are still far away from having a robust, safe and effective protocol for gene-editing. Science does not take a few hours or days, it needs years to develop these safe protocols, and determine if there are long term effects of gene-editing. Scientists must be cautious, because once you have made a genomic alteration, there is no taking it back. The consequences are incalculable and could be severely damaging – not only to the individual but to the species as a whole. The strictest guidelines are required. The best guideline would be to ban all so-

Just Because We Can... Does Not Mean We Should The human genome should not be manipulated to inherit desired traits or resist disease.

Humans should NOT be genetically engineered. There is no such thing as "perfect pitch." Who decides what a perfect pitch is? Genetic engineering is not a natural part of life, and should never be used. There has never been such thing as a perfect human, and there never should be. Humans are meant to be different, and possess traits specific to oneself. If genetic engineering is used, the technology will be used unethically, will cause nonspecific alterations in DNA throughout trial and error, and will attempt to make all humans the same.  Unethically Used Technology  If genes are being manipulated to prevent disease, humans will want more. There will be a need to alter more than disease genes. Genetic engineering will be manipulated to alter characteristics such as hair and eye colour. For example, if a set of parents want their child to 100% have blonde hair and blue eyes, genetic engineering can make their wishes come true. Although the parents will be happy,

The genetic code is a set of rules defining hot the 4 letter code of DNA is converted into 20 amino acids, which are the building blocks for proteins. They consist of the nucleotide triplets of DNA and RNA molecules that are called codons and carry genetic information in living cells. Every codon represents an amino acid which create a sequence to form a polypeptide. Knowing what we know about the genetic code, just because we can change it should we? In my opinion we shouldn’t. We should not be able to modify the genetic codes of human, it just isn’t right. Changing the genetic code would be interrupting with nature and the diversity throughout the human population. Modifying the genetic code may lead to other diseases and bigger disadvantages. It is also abusive to the system and the way things will work. To begin, I am against changing the genetic code of humans because doing so would interrupt the diversity that is found throughout the world. Our world consists of so many di

“Most people don’t want to hear important truth” - Jim Watson  I n 2015, Chinese scientists announced that they had modified human embryos to alter a gene that causes a life-threatening blood disorder, Cystic Fibrosis. This was the first experiment that exhibited genetic engineering to prevent inherited diseases.  Genetic engineering uses bacterial enzymes to delete/replace genes in DNA (Savulescu, 2015). By doing so, traits are added to the human genome that would not have been there previously.  Although its safety still needs to be tested, the likelihood of choosing the DNA of future children is high for many reasons.   “Nature can be cruel” What does Jim Watson mean by this statement?  In the documentary “Pandora’s Box - Episode 5” Jim Watson explains that genes can be “too short, too tall, too fast or too thin” which ultimately causes genetic diseases that are incurable and in many situations, life threatening.  With genetic engineering, there are many opportunit

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should Do you take every opportunity that arises in your life? The answer is probably a no, because if you did, would you be alive? Every day, you are given the chance to do many things, like try new foods and talk to new people. Sometimes, you are given riskier opportunities like biking without a helmet (rebellious!) or even jumping into a freezing cold lake with nobody around. You sometimes know that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits , and deny these opportunities. Genetic engineering is no exception; we don't have to take this opportunity What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic engineering involves the manipulation of genetic material of organisms in order to attain desired traits. More simply, it is changing an organism to make it look, or act a specific way ( NHGRI, 2006) . In the past, plants have been genetically modified in order to grow crops with a higher product yield and to product more aesthetically pleasing produ