Biotechnology’s Impact on Society
Because of biotechnology, we are discovering more and more about our species. We
now know that we are made up of cells, DNA, and many other compounds that strangely
connect with each other. How our body works and the many processes it helps function out
are being understood and with technology constantly growing and expanding, our
knowledge is becoming even more immense.
The vaccines we use are also an outcome of biotechnology. By using the organisms
that cause disease and viruses in smaller amounts that the body can handle, the body can
become immune to deadly diseases like smallpox or hepatitis b. Long time ago, most
people would die very young and most children didn’t even live until adulthood but now,
our average life expectancy has soared as we live much healthier lives without many deadly
diseases.
A new way of preventing diseases has popped up because of advances in
biotechnology: gene therapy. Gene therapy consists of replacing a mutated gene with a
healthy one, inactivating a mutated gene, or putting a new gene into the genome to help
fight a disease. Gene therapy is still under research but it can help treat many incurable
diseases already such as some cancers and many inherited diseases. Many trials were
successful and many diseases were cured. The diseases before were incurable but with
gene therapy, this now became untrue. With gene therapy continuously advancing, many
more diseases would be able to be cured.
In the years past, many people were wrongfully accused of a crime they did not do.
Innocent people were put in jail and blamed for the deeds of someone else, but a new
discovery in science helped prevent this from happening. Now, crimes are much easier to
trace to the criminal through analyzing DNA, and evidence can now be much more
accurate. Using science in the court has led to many exonerations and easier prosecutions.
Forensic scientists can now use unique fingerprints or pieces of hair to figure out the
encrypted DNA code of it and can match it up with suspects. Blood and other bodily fluids
may now also be examined with DNA testing. These result in innocent people being freed of
suspicion and can lead on to justice being brought on to the right criminals quicker.
With the discovery of the human genome by biotechnology, babies can be
genetically engineered to have a specific gene or produce an organ identical to an organ of
someone in need. For example, if a child is in need of a specific type of bone marrow
because of a disease such as leukemia or breast cancer, the parent may produce another
offspring with the same type of bone marrow needed by means of genetic engineering to
make the offspring possess specific genes to possess that type of bone marrow. The
chances without genetic engineering is extremely slim, and an offspring to be produced
with the correct bone marrow might take too long of time for the child in need. Finding a
donor with the correct type of bone marrow could take too long of a time also, and about
seventy percent of people needing a bone marrow transplant do not receive one because of
this reason and die.
DNA also plays a huge role in the foods we consume. Animals, fruits, vegetables, or
any organism we consume for food also has a genome that can be genetically engineered to
benefit humans. These organisms have genes that have specific properties such as pest
resistance or what nutrients are contained in them. Thousands of people are suffering
from malnutrition which can lead to illnesses and even blindness in some cases. More
advanced uses of the knowledge of DNA in foods have included advances such as changing
the genetic code of the most indulged grain of the world, rice, to produce more necessary
Vitamin A to reduce the risks of blindness. With the biotechnology, even our food can be
altered for our benefit.
The amount of food we now have is also heavily dependent on the advancements of
biotechnology. Many animals or crops that we consume for food have been bred by the
genes they possess such as size of animals, the resistance to bugs of some crops, and their
yields, for instance, hybrid corn. Hybrid corn has been specifically bred to have a higher
yield than regular corn without the use of artificial chemicals. This is one of the examples of
how our food supply has been increased tremendously with the use of science. The size of
animals and the amounts of crops that are now available to us multiplied by many times
over the course of years. Hunger is a big step closer to being stomped out because of
biotechnology.
Biotechnology has basically impacted everything in society. It I probably what has
change our standard of living from decades ago to what we have now. It makes our
everyday lives much easier with more safety and less concern of survival. Now, we don’t
need to worry about starving tomorrow or catching the plague spreading around but
instead, we can live happily because of biotechnology.