The Artificial Model Of Natural Selection

We are living is a world where very soon it will be possible for people to create ‘designer babies’ that have all the features they wish for. In the article Building Baby from the Genes Up, Ronald M. Green talks about all the positive impacts that genetic modification of human beings can have on our future generations. Green acknowledges some of the negatives such as parents creating perfect children and being able to give them any trait the parent wants. However in the end he comes to the conclusion that the positive impacts of getting rid of genes that cause obesity, cancer, learning disorders, and many other diseases and disorders, outweighs the negative aspects. Richard Hayes, author of Genetically Modified Humans? No Thanks, takes the stance that we should not be able to change anything about human beings through genetic modification. He believes that once we start modifying a few features, it will slowly turn into every parent altering as many of their babies’ genes that they want. While he does acknowledge the positive impacts of getting rid of negative genes such as Tay-Sachs, he believes that it is not worth the risk of having parents manipulate all their future children’s genes to their liking. Green and Hayes stand on opposite sides of the debate about genetic modification of human beings and this essay will explore the similarities and the differences of their articles.

Throughout our lifetime we are in constant change, many of those changes are ones that you don’t notice. However permanent we set a change to ourselves, one thing we hardly notice change is our DNA. Just growing recently in popularity is genetic engineering , along with its immense potential which can do very much for us, in the future and today. However, with all the potential that genetic engineering carries many people have begun to resent what genetic engineering could become instead of focusing on the great capabilities, and what lies ahead of its bright future. Regardless of what others believe, Genetic engineering will renovate the way we do things today, genetic engineering is a tremendous step to accept, and without a doubt a step

Genetic modification, especially the production of “designer babies,” has been acclaimed as the next great medical beneficiary to humanity, and also regarded with disdain and fear as a product of man playing god, neo-eugenics, and perpetuating inequality. The benefits to society, such as alleviating medical anomalies and bettering both length and quality of life, outweigh the moral panic and outcry that is a response to scenarios that are unlikely to ever even develop. Society should embrace genetic engineering and modification to improve humanity as a whole.

New technology that promises to make it possible to edit genetic information and to alter and or screen for genetic disease and defects prior to birth has to be one of the most controversial topics of all times. Reproductive technologies such as Preimplantation Genetic Diagnoses (PGD) and CRSPR, which involves RNA and the enzyme nuclease to edit genes, have given humanity the power to direct its own evolution. Anyone would agree that people should have the freedom to choose what they want and how they want it, but at the same time, it seems that humanity has gone way too far. Altering genes and picking cosmetic traits for an offspring is not a natural process, which can cause controversy among religious and philosophical individuals. As described in the articles, the immediate barriers lay upon practical and philosophical questions that

“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on” (Robert Frost). People from the beginning of civilization have cultivated crops ranging from methods of fermentation to classical selection for desired traits. In essence, genetic modification is not a new concept only conceived in the twentieth century; it has been occurring for millenias. Genetic engineering is only a step forward as the latest form of gene selection utilizing biotechnology, which merely catalyzes processes that previously required generations upon generations to that of just a couple days.

Genetic enhancement appears to be inevitable since technology is making a rapid turn towards genetic enhancement. Because of this fact, concerns over how beneficial or harmful genetic enhancement would be in the future have arisen. We, as a society, need to analyze both sides and decide for ourselves whether we should support the progression of genetic enhancement or do everything in our power to stall or halt it.

Genetic modification has been taking place since humans first began to grow crops and raise livestock. Those goods which best suited the needs of the people were those that they grew the next season, and thus, selective breeding began to take place. This tool was widely utilized even though it would be centuries until the discovery of genetics or acceptance of Darwin's theory. It allowed farmers to produce more products, and do so more efficiently. This process came to be known as artificial selection. Much like the process of natural selection, those organisms with the most favorable traits are those that live and reproduce, only it is humans, not nature, doing the selecting. Despite the fact that these human influenced processes have been

By definition, genetic modification is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome through the use of biotechnology. This definition becomes skewed within the eyes of popular culture; genetic modification can be used to "manipulate" an organism's DNA, for they fear that this life is now the result of artificial selection, rather than natural selection. To biologists and analytical geneticists though, genetic engineering grants the opportunity to change the way the future generations will think, just by cutting, editing, and adding traits which change the genetic codes of a living cell. However, this does not necessarily mean the loss of humane ethics.

Genetic engineering is the manipulation of genetic material in a cell to produce desired characteristics; desired “new” genes are placed into a little virus like organism that is allowed to get into your cell and insert the new genes into the cell along with the “old” genes. Scientists have learned how to pair and mix different characteristics of unrelated organisms by moving genes from one organism to another. Genetic engineers modify human genes using three approaches: cloning, somatic cell manipulation, and human germline manipulation.

Carol Burnett once said, “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” With the future of medicine evolving, that may not stand true anymore. A new and evolving discovery in medicine may provide parents the capability to modify and select which traits they want their child to receive. Genetic modification could possible change a child’s life forever, although it could also damage a child’s life. Could future generations be walking Barbie dolls in society? Although genetic modification may potentially improve the quality of life for many individuals, it should be used only in cases where the outcome improves an individual's health.

Throughout the years, scientific and technological advances have benefited the world in a huge way. Nevertheless, scientists continue to look for new beneficial methods or experiments, and genetic engineering is one of these. This is a new advance and employment of scientific methods, processes, and technologies that allows direct management of genetic material, or the addition of DNA, in order to alter the inborn traits of a cell, organism, or population. This is done by physically removing the desired gene from an organism, and placing it in another who will acquire the trait responsible by that gene. Inside the receiver organism, the gene may be slightly modified but will still perform its function.

Within the last two decades scientists have developed several new techniques, which manipulate and alter the genes found in the cells of living organisms. This wonder of the century, genetic engineering has turned heredity --the passing of inheritable characteristics from parent to off spring- from a natural, random event into a process that can be artificially controlled and exploited. It has the potential of giving humanity unprecedented power over life itself, and it has thus raised profound questions in such diverse areas as the environment, agriculture, biological warfare, and animal rights. Genetic engineering has clearly become the controversial topic of today and no doubt will extend into future.

With the breakthrough of scientific discoveries in recent decades, humans have attained progressively more power over Mother Nature. Specifically, genetic engineering has allowed for the modification of the genetic makeup of humans. While the power to modify genes sounds great and many possibilities, it also burdens mankind with many ethical issues. Although genetic engineering in humans is acceptable under some circumstances it is unacceptable and unethical in others.

There is no denying that at a quick glance genetic altering appears to be an attractive and quick way to food security, but the importance of something having intrinsic value seems to be forgotten or ignored. All of the natural world holds an amount of intrinsic value and has a right to simply exist. Seeds, plants, and animals exist independently from humans and are beneficial contributors to the bigger picture of the community on Earth. Genetically modifying organisms promotes a hierarchy of Humankind and exhibits that we

Today’s culture has a growing fascination with biotechnology and genetic engineering. This is especially true within the field of reproductive technology. Advancements in this field has expanded family options significantly with the advent of reproductive technologies such as in vetro fertilization, embryo transplant, and varying genetic testing and screening (Finsterbusch, 2008). However, what drives humanity to want to modify humankind? Should there be limits placed on these modifications? And, how far should we really go?