What is the potential impact of genetic engineering on evolution?
The process of transferring the genes of one organism into
the DNA of another is called genetic engineering. It is a technique
used by geneticists to produce desired traits in an organism.
Genetic engineering may be used to cure genetic disorders in the
future.
Evolution is a scientific theory that explains how organisms
have changed over time. People have used selective breeding for
years to produce organisms with desired traits and a similar
process must occur naturally in nature to produce organisms that
can survive or be the strongest in their environment. Unfavorable
traits disappear and a species develops favorable traits over a
period of time. Some traits are better suited for their environment
and these are the traits that we would want to see reproduced in
future generations of an organism.
Genetic engineering could be used by geneticists to speed up
the process of natural selection and remove undesirable traits in an
organism quicker than waiting on an organism to evolve to the
point that the undesirable trait was no longer present. For example,
a carrier of cystic fibrosis could be identified and the defective
gene that they carry that produces cystic fibrosis could be replaced
or injected with a non-infected gene. Currently, carriers of cystic
fibrosis who reproduce with another carrier of cystic fibrosis have
a twenty five percent chance of producing a child that actually has
the disorder. They cannot identify if a child will have cystic
fibrosis until it is already conceived or by expensive treatments
where doctors only select eggs that do not carry the gene. By
correcting the defective gene in the carriers, eventually cystic
fibrosis could be eliminated by eliminating the defective gene.
Genetic engineering has the potential to rid the world of
genetic disorders by speeding up the process of natural selection.
Organisms will have the ability to evolve quicker, free from
genetic disorders by eliminating the threats to their survival.