Explain the term "genetic engineering". Using three different examples of the application of this technique, assess its advantages and disadvantages.

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ESSAY

SUBJECT:  ENGLISH

TITLE:  Explain the term “genetic engineering”. Using three different examples of the application of this technique, assess its advantages and disadvantages.

DATE: 16/03/2002

NAME:  Qimin Liu

GROUP:  D

Since human science was being developed up to modern history, genetic engineering is a greatest progress that can able to affect the development of human beings and human societies in the future. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to explain what genetic engineering is and introduce the advantages and disadvantages to people by giving some typical examples. At the beginning, I would like to bring the definition of genetic engineering out and introduce its applications in early days. Secondly, I am going to talk about the functions of genetic engineering techniques that can be used in various fields of science. And then I will use three different examples of the application of genetic engineering technique to evaluate its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, I would like to appraise the views about genetic engineering in eyes of people nowadays, I also will introduce the assumption that about the development of genetic engineering in the future.

If the 1980s were the decade of the computer microchip, the 1990s have already become the decade of the gene, and many home have contained substances or living organisms resulting from genetic engineering. In general, genetic engineering means the reshuffling of genes usually from one species to another such as from fish to tomato or from human to pig. In other words, genetic engineering occurs when genes from one organism are transferred to the complement of genes of another unrelated organism. This process actually is to re-arrange the sequence of DNA in gene by using artificial methods. In early 1990s, scientists attempted to apply genetic engineering in improving the breed of foods especially vegetables. After that, they found genes could be transferred to another unrelated organism. So they tried to reshuffle more genes that from more other organisms. For example, they once inserted gene which was from a human into the organism of a mouse leaded to the growth of the mouse was larger than mice not treated with the genetically engineered.

Due to the pace of discovery in the field of science is increasing so fast that genetic engineering is used in broad purposes in bioscience. We find it is mixed in our food on the shelves in the supermarket; we find it can be used to cure or avoid diseases for animals even for human; we also find it copied animals, which might be occurred to human in the future. Thus, some dangers of genetic engineering will come along with benefits that it will bring. And scientists do not know whether genetic engineering is the pleasure today but the future nightmare. On the other hand, scientists have to do further research and developing about genetic engineering because the world will face many seriously problems caused by energy shortage, materials shortage, oxygen shortage, massive diseases, etc. Therefore, genetic engineering is playing an important role in a new revolution—genetic revolution. It can be applied in the field of agriculture, iatrology and new technology—cloning.

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In terms of agriculture, genetic engineering has already been widely used. Genetically engineered crops are the most typical examples that genetic engineering is handled in the field of agriculture. They are made by artificial way that is transfer genes from other organisms. There are lots of examples about genetically engineered crops as following.

  1. Rice does not contain very much vitamin A. In the poorer parts of Asia, where rice is almost the only food of the rural population, a vitamin A shortage is common, leading to early blindness. Therefore, scientists have transferred the genes for vitamin A ...

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