Эссе на тему: "Genetic engineering"

Genetic engineering
The current level of our knowledge of biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics allow us to count on the successful development of a new biotechnology-genetic engineering, i.e. a set of methods that allows to transfer genetic information from one body to another. Gene transfer makes it possible to overcome interspecific barriers and transfer individual hereditary traits of one organism to another. The goal of genetic engineering is not to translate myths into reality, but to produce cells (primarily bacterial) capable of producing some "human" proteins on an industrial scale.
Scientists believe that genetically modified plants can reduce crop losses. Today, tests of American potatoes resistant to the Colorado potato beetle are being completed in Russia. Perhaps this year will be granted permission for its industrial production. There is one essential “but”in such varieties. When you get a plant with dramatically increased resistance to any pest, after two or three generations, this pest will adapt to the plant, and will devour it even more. Consequently, sustainable potatoes can produce aggressive pests that the world has not yet encountered.
Genetic engineering will provide tremendous opportunities in the field of pharmacology, changing the human code. One can almost imagine that a person can create a person with given characteristics. It can be a brilliant mathematician, it can be a brilliant musician, but it can also be a military man — a man who can fight without fear, without feelings of compassion and regret, without pain.
Genetic engineering is fundamentally different from breeding new varieties and breeds. The artificial addition of foreign genes severely disrupts the finely regulated genetic control of a normal cell. Gene manipulation is fundamentally different from the combination of maternal and paternal chromosomes that occurs in natural interbreeding.
Currently, genetic engineering is technically imperfect, as it is not able to control the process of embedding a new gene. Therefore, it is impossible to foresee the location of the embedding and the effects of the added gene. Even if the location of a gene can be determined after it is embedded in the genome, the available DNA information is very incomplete in order to predict the results.
But, at the same time it is the use of genetic engineering techniques allowed to decipher the genome of humans and many other organisms, to identify the genes responsible for certain signs, including severe hereditary diseases. The latter opens up new avenues to the treatment of previously hopeless diseases.
Genetic engineering is also very effective in pharmacology. For example, the genes encoding the synthesis of a valuable drug (human erythropoietin, insulin, etc.) are transplanted into the mammary glands of domestic animals, and this makes it easy to obtain the necessary drugs in large quantities.
With the help of genetic engineering in the future, it will be possible to cure congenital diseases or various abnormalities with which some children are born, due to a failure in the genes. And even diseases like HIV.
The world's population is increasing every year, so genetically modified food is designed to save the growing population of the planet from hunger. Genetically modified food is the future.
Dialog
- The world population is growing all the time, do you think that it is important to develop genetic engineering especially in agriculture?
- No, I am afraid this is so dangerous; the question has not been researched yet.
- bye the way, when you buy cotton clothes from China there is a probability that the material was wade from genetically modified cotton.
- So, you mean that there are even some advantages of genetic engineering in our life, don’t you?
- yes, a team of scientists from Switzerland has derived "Golden rice" containing beta-carotene from injected transgenes of daffodils-in order to strengthen the beneficial properties against vitamin a deficiency-a phenomenon common among residents of Asian regions. These experiments were met with public accusations that such GMO rice has carcinogenic properties. However, such criticism has not yet been reflected in official who documents, while the benefits of a hundred-gram serving of Golden rice to cover 120% of the need for vitamin A.
- I have heard different information^
Data from the human genome research Institute (USA) showed that changes in one gene in the body causes changes in other genes on the Domino principle, the nature of which is difficult to predict.
- I think that our science should develop this technology, because anyway it can help humans to struggle with diseases before birth. We need to do something to feed our increasing popularity, what can we do?
- But yields of modified crops of corn, wheat and rapeseed in the United States (where GMOs are widespread) give lower rates at a higher load of pesticides than in Western Europe (where there are bans on GM products) for the same types of cereals.
- I will believe you when I see statistics.
- And what about ecology? Don’t you think that genetic engineering can kill many spices of insects, birds and even animals?
- Maybe you are right, one should analyze the furthest prospects before creating new organisms.