"Only god has the right to interfere with our genes"
03.11.04 Greg Judge 1O4 RE COURSEWORK - PART B 845 WORDS "Only god has the right to interfere with our genes" Genetic engineering is when scientists manipulate the human genome to alter 'bad' genes; these genes are responsible for all types of diseases and conditions from cancer to the acclaimed 'fat' gene which is responsible for the obesity crisis that the modern world is currently facing. This practice has been controversial one because religions and other organizations across the world believe that genetic engineering is playing god as it allows man to create people with any mental and physical characteristics possible. As well as this, scientists would also be able to create food, livestock and even grow human transplant parts on animals that are grown to precise specifications. These could include food that lasts longer and animals that have more meat, all this is possible using genetic engineering and that makes genetic engineering a very controversial topic both in the political and religious communities. In my essay I am going to consider whether man should have the power of god to do this, I will look at the opinions and beliefs of 2 religions and my own personal opinion. The 2 religions will be looking at are Christianity and Islam. Christians agree that only god should have the right to manipulate our genes and characteristics because 'it is wrong to try
Analysis of dog genome assists the understanding of human health
Analysis of dog genome assists the understanding of human health Ever thought of how resembling and how close you and your pet dog can be? Dogs not only share the same air, same water, the same house or even the same bed with humans (Clarke, Toni.2005), they also exhibit similarities in genes and diseases with humans. Here are some examples of numerous diseases that we share with dogs: Cancer, deafness, blindness, heart disease, epilepsy etc. Scientists therefore believe that decoding dog's genome will provide helpful information in developing cures for the diseases in both species. Much work has been done over the past few years to discover which specific gene on a particular chromosome is responsible for a special type of disease. The Dog Genome Project is currently the most popular program carried out at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, which is "part of the National Human Genome Research Institute's Large-scale Research Network" (National Institutes of Health, 2005). Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre was initially involved, now taken over by the NHGRI. This project is applied by scientist as the model system and aims to map and clone the genes of dogs in order for research in cancer and genetic work. Gene mapping is the process that centres the whole genome project. This practise is defined as "the determination of the sequence of genes and their relative
In this coursework I am going to investigate the different characteristics of cloning, how it came to be, the methodologies and how it works, and, in the process, determine its significance to humans.
The importance of cloning In this coursework I am going to investigate the different characteristics of cloning, how it came to be, the methodologies and how it works, and, in the process, determine its significance to humans. Introduction There are several meanings being attached to cloning today and they cause confusion and uncertainty. However, the general definition that most scientists use in describing cloning is the one that is relevant to the different processes for duplicating a biological material. Hence, the definition covers both the artificial and natural processes. Cloning by artificial means is the one most popularly identified with cloning: It is the creation of a clone scientifically, that is, by some conscious design or human interruption. Contrary to widespread belief, cloning can be considered a natural process, too. Natural cloning has been going on for billions of years. Natural cloning occurs when an organism reproduces asexually or when two genetically identical twins are produced by a splitting of a fertilized egg. For example, when one takes a stem from a yam plant and plant it in the ground, a new plant would grow as it takes root. The new plant can be considered a clone in the sense that it is identical to its parent. Similar cloning takes place in grass, potatoes and onions. This is a technique for producing plants asexually. Humans have been
Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism
Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is an idea first developed by David Hume in his book 'Why Utility Pleases'. Hume tried to account for the fact that we tend to approve those qualities and actions that are useful to society; that is, those that promote social utility. However, Hume's theory of ethics could not be described as utilitarianism in the way that the term is used today. Jeremy Bentham was the first person to use Utilitarianism in the way in which the term would be used today. Drawing on and adapting Hume's ideas in order to coincide with the society in which he lived during the industrial revolution. He was concerned with social reform as the conditions in which people lived and worked were appalling. Bentham wanted to find a way of defining right and wrong without a need for a transcendent authority. In 'Introduction to the principles of moral legislation' he tried to establish a way of arguing for something to be good and bad according to its benefits for the majority of the people, he called this the principle of utility. Bentham established a Hedonic calculus by which happiness could be measured, the hedonic calculus was split up into six categories; duration, intensity, remoteness, purity, richness, and extent. Using this calculus, Bentham believed that it was possible to measure the amount of pleasure or pain
Transgenic organisms; scientific breakthrough or historical disaster
Transgenic organisms; scientific breakthrough or historical disaster In this report I will be showing how transgenic organism are introduced into animals and plants and the modern day issues of these process. A transgenic organism contains stable integrated recombinant DNA. This is achieved by inserting a new piece of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) on every chromosome in each cell. To achieve this would take large amount of time, so new DNA strand is inserted when the organism is only one cell. Though the process of mitosis the single cell will replicate its self identically and every cell in the organism will now contain this new DNA strand. This whole process is called recombinant DNA technology DNA contains thousands of different genes, which are made up of nucleotides. Each gene corresponds to different characteristics and hereditary information. The DNA strand is usually extracted from other organism and the new gene inserted is called transgene. This additions of a new DNA strand will allow organisms either, animals or plants to have properties of other organisms have. Here is a diagram a strand of DNA containing a gene, The purpose of this process is to produce modified crops and animals, which have enhanced genital information, to improve yield and productivity. The ethical issues of transgenic organisms are very equal. As the advantages of this process is it
A Separate Peace by John Knowles - summary of theme and narrative
A Separate Peace One should never do such a thing; that when looking back in life they should repent it. A Separate Peace is a flashback novel, written by John Knowles. It takes place in the 1940's in an all male boarding school in New Hampshire. Gene, a fairly young man now visits his old high school, Devon High School fifteen years after graduation, remembering mainly his summer before and his last year there. Gene had spent his time there with his "best friend" Finny. Finny was the time of guy that could get away with everything and anything, especially during the Summer Session the boys were attending. He was good at almost everything, well except for academics. Gene no doubt was the smart one of the two, while Finny was athletically strong. To understand the many feelings and actions that the characters go through, the setting should be taken into great consideration. The 1940's; World War two was taking place at that time. Men from all over the country were getting drafted. At the end of this year, these boys would also be drafted, fighting a war that their families, neighbors, teachers, and fellow citizens were already fighting. Once the Summer Session finishes these boys will begin senior year, at the end of which they will be sent away. Amidst all this confusion and free there is a pair of boys, Finny and Gene. Finny was intimidating, basically everything he said
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering has been a major topic of discussion ever since 'Dolly' the sleep was cloned. Its raises ethical, moral and religious questions due to the fact it is tampering with the makeup of organisms, and certain religions believe it is not our right to do this. Genetic engineering involves the re-arranging of DNA sequences, artificial horizontal gene transfer and cloning. There has been little progress in the re-arranging of genes in the last several years, due to the complexity of the problem, as there is no technique developed to analyse the sequence of DNA quickly. The analysis of E-coli DNA sequence took 12 years! Artificial horizontal gene transfer is a method of gene transfer between different species. Scientists transfer some known 'small' genes to another species to improve their functions. There are many unknown factors of this, as well as a low success rate, so very few products exist. As for cloning, the only clone is 'Dolly' the sheep, who was genetically duplicated from a complete set of adult chromosomes. Scientists have been unable to repeat the experiment, so many of them question its validity. There are advantages to genetic engineering; despite the fact we are more informed of its possible dangers. These advantages are mainly known in the advantages of genetically modified crops (or GM
Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction
Target Audience: AS level Biology students. Purpose: for gaining a better understanding of the concepts of captive breeding and reintroduction. First biological issue (Major): Captive Breeding (including genetics and inbreeding) Pg1-3 Second biological issue (Minor): Reintroduction (inc. Hibernation as a biological process) Pg3-5 Word count: 1955 excluding figures and bibliography. Wildwood Wildwood Trust is a project situated on the edge of the Forest of Blean, in Kent. Wildwood's aim is to use the facilities in the woodland and animal collection to 'support practical conservation projects in the wild.' There are over three hundred animals, many of which are endangered, taking part in conservation projects, and living in semi natural enclosures. The woodland is managed by coppice rotation, a process that takes place every 20 years where trees such as silver birch and sweet chestnut are cut to ground level and then shoots allowed to regrow. This is an essential habitat for the hazel dormouse. The wood is a centre for captive breeding and reintroduction for native endangered species such as hazel dormice and this example will be used in this report to explain these issues. The Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) The Hazel Dormouse is native to the countryside of Britain, predominantly southern England (see figure 2), living in woodland areas and environments
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease caused by a mutation in a gene responsible for producing a protein called "cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator" (CFTR). Most people have 2 genes which produce this protein, but only one is needed to prevent the disease. This means that CF is "autosomal recessive", meaning that a person with the disease has a mutation in both CFTR (one mutated gene from each parent). Someone with one mutated gene and one normal gene is a carrier. Carriers do not show the symptoms of CF, as they have one working gene, but they may pass a copy of the defective gene onto their children. The CFTR gene is responsible for producing the CFTR protein, which allows Cl- ions to diffuse out of cells in water regulation. If the gene in the DNA is mutated, the mRNA produced in transcription will code for the wrong sequence of amino acids, so the protein made by the mRNA in translation will be the wrong shape, and therefore will not function correctly. This diagram shows the normal situation, where there is too much water in the mucus (outside the apical end of the cell). The sodium pump moves Na+ ions out of the cell, into the tissue fluid outside the basal end of the cell. The Na+ channel allows sodium ions to diffuse into the cell to replace those lost, causing a more negative water potential in the cell, so water moves out of the mucus
The use of recombinant technology can only benefit humans. Discuss.
The use of recombinant technology can only benefit humans. Discuss. Recombination is a way in which meiosis produces new combinations of genetic information. During synapsis, chromatids may exchange parts with other chromatids, leading to a physical exchange of chromosome parts; thus, genes from both parents may be combined on the same chromosome, creating a new combination. Recombinant DNA technology is a series of techniques in which DNA fragments are linked to self-replicating forms of DNA to create recombinant DNA molecules. These molecules in turn are replicated in a host cell to create clones of the inserted segments. I think that recombinant technology only benefits humans as it allows us much greater control over genetic manipulation, which we can then use to our advantage. Indge, Rowland and Baker (2000) summarises some of the ways that recombinant technology has been beneficial to humans; > Genetically engineered micro organisms- large amounts of insulin and human growth hormone can be produced cheaply. > Genetically modified plants- Desirable plants can be transferred from an organism to a crop plant. > Genetically modified animals- human proteins such as haemoglobin and blood-clotting factors, are already produced in the milk of transgenic cows, goats and sheep. > Human gene therapy- gene therapy involves inserting a 'normal' gene into an organism's body to
