Genes could also be manipulated in trees for example, to absorb more CO2 and reduce the threat of global warming. Plants that are resistant to diseases, pests, and stress were developed through this. Also, plants that have increased nutritive value can also be produced. This is not only an advantage to yield value but also the quality of yield produced through this to suit demands of local agriculture. Genetically engineered organisms have many potential applications in agriculture, including novel foods, pesticides, and animal drugs. These include plants engineered for Herbicide tolerance or insect resistance, and bacteria engineered to produce drugs for livestock. Herbicide tolerance for example allows crops to withstand otherwise lethal doses of herbicides, which are chemicals that kill plants. Some herbicides kill virtually all plants and cannot be used on crops. By offering crops tolerant to herbicides, chemical companies can expand the market for their products which is very useful for our agriculture industry today.
However, the downside of genetic engineering is that the nature is an extremely complex inter-related chain consisting of many species linked in the food chain. Some scientists believe that introducing genetically modified genes may have an irreversible effect with consequences yet unknown.
Genetic engineering borderlines on many moral issues, particularly involving religion, which questions whether man has the right to manipulate the laws and course of nature. Unfortunately, the concept of playing God means different things to different people. For some it may have nothing to do with God at all. They are simply expressing awe and wonder at the power that humans can wield over nature. What is really at stake is fear, fear of what we may learn, fear of what new responsibility this new knowledge will put on our shoulders, and fear that this new knowledge will be used to harm us and not for the common good. The point was made that technology itself is not evil. Any technology can be used to further God's purposes or hinder them. People make those decisions, not technology.
Personally, I think the advantages of the discovery of genetic engineering outweigh the negative aspects about it as I hold that human will keep developing and these discoveries are a lot of help to our humanity. Bad effects are always the downside of each and every discovery. In my opinion, genetic engineering has many advantages but really it is up to personal rational consideration on how to approach and make the most of it at the same time respecting the fact of humanity. Like the saying goes 'Science tells us what is possible, not what is right.'
[copyright reserved: Alina Hasni]
