INTRODUCTION
Although the field of gene manipulation is young one, its impact on all of biology and medicine is tremendous. The manipulation of genetic code has both positive and negitive consequences. Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. New DNA may be inserted in the host genome by first isolating and copying the genetic material of interest using molecular cloning methods to generate a DNA sequence, or by synthesizing the DNA, and then inserting this construct into the host organism. Genes may be removed, or "knocked out", using a nuclease. Genetic engineering is one of the most important technologies now available to scientists. The technology was crucial to the sequencing of the human genome, and has greatly increased the potential for developing new medicines. The first GMOs were bacteria in 1973 and GM mice were generated in 1974. One of the first genetic engineering advances involved the hormone insulin. Diabetes, a medical condition that affects millions of people, prevents the body from producing enough insulin necessary for cells to properly absorb sugar. Diabetics used to be treated with supplementary insulin isolated from pigs or cows. Although this insulin is very similar to human insulin, it is not identical. Bovine insulin is antigenic in humans. Antibodies produced against it would gradually destroy its efficacy. Insulin-producing bacteria were commercialized in 1982 and genetically modified food has been sold since 1994. Glofish, the first GMO designed as a pet, was first sold in the United States December in 2003. These genes can code for medicines or enzymes that process food and other substrates. Plants have been modified for insect protection, herbicide resistance, virus resistance, enhanced nutrition, tolerance to environmental pressures and the production of edible vaccines. Most commercialised GMO's are insect resistant and/or herbicide tolerant crop plants. Genetically modified animals have been used for research, model animals and the production of agricultural or pharmaceutical products. They include animals with genes knocked out, increased susceptibility to disease, hormones for extra growth and the ability to express proteins in their milk. The factor which distinguishes genetic modification from other forms of scientific altering of substances is the changing of nucleic acids. These are effectively the building blocks of life, as they carry the genetic blueprint for all forms of animal and plant life. The characteristics of each specimen are largely determined by these blueprints, and the ability to alter them gives scientists the possibility of creating new specimens with improved characteristics. There is no dispute as to the potential benefits which this could bring to the world through increased food supplies, less wastage and damage through pestilence, and the greater availability of medical supplies. Those against the technology point to the potential dangers to safety and ecology. There are two distinct levels to the practice of genetic modification, and they each have potentially different consequences. The most obvious level of work is to use genes from within the same species, but to try to isolate the best and most effective from individual specimens. This is relatively easy to do, and was the method used to produce the first genetically modified tomatoes. These were the first plants to be developed in this way to be made commercially available. The level beyond this is called transgenic modification, and introduces genes from other species. This increases greatly the number of possibilities, but obviously the risks increase also. The benefits which the world can derive from genetic modification are hard to quantify, but they are doubtless substantial. If food yields can be increased without the need to overuse chemical fertilizers, there is a possibility of feeding more of the world's population from the same area of land. There is also the possibility that food prices could fall over time, making it easier for families in all parts of the world to budget for their needs. Despite this, there are many who claim that genetic modification is a mistake which will severely affect the ecology of the planet, and that the real consequences of the technology are impossible to predict.
Web links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1685074/?page=1
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dna/engineering.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GloFish
http://www.geneticengineeringinhumans.com/ar/articles-on-genetic-engineering.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3PXyCmf0gk
Although the field of gene manipulation is young one, its impact on all of biology and medicine is tremendous. The manipulation of genetic code has both positive and negitive consequences. Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct manipulation of an organism's genome using biotechnology. New DNA may be inserted in the host genome by first isolating and copying the genetic material of interest using molecular cloning methods to generate a DNA sequence, or by synthesizing the DNA, and then inserting this construct into the host organism. Genes may be removed, or "knocked out", using a nuclease. Genetic engineering is one of the most important technologies now available to scientists. The technology was crucial to the sequencing of the human genome, and has greatly increased the potential for developing new medicines. The first GMOs were bacteria in 1973 and GM mice were generated in 1974. One of the first genetic engineering advances involved the hormone insulin. Diabetes, a medical condition that affects millions of people, prevents the body from producing enough insulin necessary for cells to properly absorb sugar. Diabetics used to be treated with supplementary insulin isolated from pigs or cows. Although this insulin is very similar to human insulin, it is not identical. Bovine insulin is antigenic in humans. Antibodies produced against it would gradually destroy its efficacy. Insulin-producing bacteria were commercialized in 1982 and genetically modified food has been sold since 1994. Glofish, the first GMO designed as a pet, was first sold in the United States December in 2003. These genes can code for medicines or enzymes that process food and other substrates. Plants have been modified for insect protection, herbicide resistance, virus resistance, enhanced nutrition, tolerance to environmental pressures and the production of edible vaccines. Most commercialised GMO's are insect resistant and/or herbicide tolerant crop plants. Genetically modified animals have been used for research, model animals and the production of agricultural or pharmaceutical products. They include animals with genes knocked out, increased susceptibility to disease, hormones for extra growth and the ability to express proteins in their milk. The factor which distinguishes genetic modification from other forms of scientific altering of substances is the changing of nucleic acids. These are effectively the building blocks of life, as they carry the genetic blueprint for all forms of animal and plant life. The characteristics of each specimen are largely determined by these blueprints, and the ability to alter them gives scientists the possibility of creating new specimens with improved characteristics. There is no dispute as to the potential benefits which this could bring to the world through increased food supplies, less wastage and damage through pestilence, and the greater availability of medical supplies. Those against the technology point to the potential dangers to safety and ecology. There are two distinct levels to the practice of genetic modification, and they each have potentially different consequences. The most obvious level of work is to use genes from within the same species, but to try to isolate the best and most effective from individual specimens. This is relatively easy to do, and was the method used to produce the first genetically modified tomatoes. These were the first plants to be developed in this way to be made commercially available. The level beyond this is called transgenic modification, and introduces genes from other species. This increases greatly the number of possibilities, but obviously the risks increase also. The benefits which the world can derive from genetic modification are hard to quantify, but they are doubtless substantial. If food yields can be increased without the need to overuse chemical fertilizers, there is a possibility of feeding more of the world's population from the same area of land. There is also the possibility that food prices could fall over time, making it easier for families in all parts of the world to budget for their needs. Despite this, there are many who claim that genetic modification is a mistake which will severely affect the ecology of the planet, and that the real consequences of the technology are impossible to predict.
Web links: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1685074/?page=1
http://www.learner.org/interactives/dna/engineering.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GloFish
http://www.geneticengineeringinhumans.com/ar/articles-on-genetic-engineering.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3PXyCmf0gk
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