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While the cartoon above might suggest I’m against the concept of genetic
engineering, that isn’t exactly accurate. I’m more a fan of cautious progress,
which means that I think we need to be careful about using this technology. The
cartoon is a goofy one because it exaggerates some of the real concerns about
genetic engineering. You might be wondering what those concerns are? Well,
read on!
A Little Primer On Genetic Engineering
I figured it would be cool to give a brief primer on all of this genetic engineering
stuff for those who have heard the term but maybe still aren’t too sure exactly
what it means! First, think about your genes. Your genes control lots of neat traits
about you such as your eye and hair color. Genetic engineering works to change
the genes in an organism, which allows for control over that organism’s traits.
You’re maybe thinking about this concept for humans, but the applications for
genetic engineering are really diverse.
Some Potentially Good Stuff
With genetic engineering, there are some important benefits but there are also
some aspects that concern scientists, researchers and many members of the
public. There are even scenarios that are particularly worrisome and the cartoon
above is an extreme representation of one of these consequences. But first, let’s
check out some of the positive aspects.
Food is one way that genetic engineering can be used to provide benefits for
humans. Through genetic engineering, we can create genetically modified
organisms (GMOs). One reason scientists create GMOs is to increase the
nutritional value of a food. Think about your own diet. Hopefully, you eat lots of
different kinds of foods. Even if you don’t, you probably have access to variety –
fruits, vegetables, meats and many more.
For a number of countries, the population there is living on a small range of
staple foods. This means that they aren’t getting all of the nutrients they need for
good health. However, a food such as a carrot can be engineered to have a
nutrient it would not normally have or perhaps the nutrient content could be
raised. GMOs can also result in fruits and vegetables that are resistant to pests
and the poor weather conditions that can reduce the yields for farmers. Not only
that, but genetic engineering has applications in medicine and health. Vaccines
have been created by this type of technology and synthetic human insulin was
developed through genetic engineering.
Uh Oh
Still, the benefits unfortunately don’t come without problems! The creation of
GMOs is thought to potentially harm biodiversity, which means that there is less
variety of life in the environment. Think about it – if a vegetable is engineered to
be tolerant to a herbicide, the herbicide will kill weeds around the vegetable with
less impact on the crop. But wait, if nearby animals feed on those weeds, they
lose a valuable source of nutrition and are unable to survive. In this way, the
biodiversity is harmed.
The Unexpected
Another fear is that GMOs could have unpredictable results. So, this could mean
that the food might trigger allergies in a person allergic to nuts even though that
person is eating soybeans. How can this happen? If a gene from nuts is inserted
into soybeans – perhaps to increase the nutritional value of the soybean, then
people who are allergic to nuts would think the soybean is fine to eat. Nope! The
gene could prompt changes that trigger an allergic reaction.
Monsters Or Not?
Now, back to that cartoon! Ever seen the scary movie or read the book
‘Frankenstein?’ One of the perceptions of genetic engineering is that it might
create a Frankenstein-like organism – a monster that has all sorts of creepy
traits. While it’s true that there are issues around genetic engineering and
unexpected or uncontrollable results, the comparison to Frankenstein is
considered by some people to be a scare tactic that is far from accurately
representing the risks of genetic engineering.
Genetic engineering is a complicated and controversial subject and you might
have your own opinion about whether you support some or all of its applications.
As with many types of technology, it is rapidly changing and we’re constantly
learning new bits about genetic engineering. Whatever you think about it, try to
get involved by learning more from the news, school, friends or your parents.
One of the most powerful ways to improve the safety of genetic engineering is to
be informed and challenge the stuff that worries us!
-Original article by Mina Isabella Tarras
Adapted by M. Campbell
From the blog Weird Science
http://weirdscience.ca/2008/06/09/genetic-engineering-101/
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper and use complete
sentences:
1. What is genetic engineering?
2. What are two ways that genetic engineering can benefit humans?
3. What are two possible problems with using genetic engineering?
4. Do you think genetic engineering is a good thing, a bad thing, or somewhere in
between? Explain your answer and give examples to support your opinion.