"Understand the Nature of Natural and Artificial Cloning of Plants and Animals."
Peter Webster 6WH Mr. Stott "Understand the Nature of Natural and Artificial Cloning of Plants and Animals." Asexual reproduction is the production of offspring from a single parent using mitosis. Therefore, with only 1 set of chromosomes being involved the offspring will be genetically identical to the "parent". This means that the offspring will be a clone of the "parent". Asexual reproduction can be either natural or artificial. In this essay I aim to cover all the possible methods of cloning, as illustrated in the table below. Organism Natural Methods Artificial Methods Plants Vegetative Propagation Parthenogenesis Cuttings Grafting Tissue Culture Animals Budding Fragmentation Parthenogenesis Embryo Splitting Somatic Cell Cloning Vegetative Reproduction, describes all the natural methods of asexual reproduction in plants. The first way a plant can clone itself is by Vegetative Propagation. A bud grows from a vegetative part of the plan, usually the stem, and develops into a completely new plant which will eventually become detached from the "parent" plant. In this method the outgrowths can be in the form of new bulbs, e.g. Daffodils as rhizomes, e.g. couch grass as runners, e.g. strawberry plants and as tubers e.g. potato plants, these methods are summarized below: [image002.gif] The second method is Spores. These are simply specialised
What are the possible environmental risks of Genetically Modified Crops? Is it morally permissible to proceed with a potentially harmful course of action if you are unsure of the consequences?
What are the possible environmental risks of Genetically Modified Crops? Is it morally permissible to proceed with a potentially harmful course of action if you are unsure of the consequences? There is much concern about GM foods, some of which are being tested, others that are already used as ingredients in the food we eat. GM stands for genetically modified and this is the process by which scientists are able to pinpoint a gene which produces a desired outcome, extract it, copy it and insert it into another organism. Some see genetic engineering opening up great opportunities in agriculture, food and medicine. For others it is a threat to something very basic about our lives and the natural world. It is unnatural, harmful and unethical and immoral. Some would say that we have been involved in genetic modification for centuries e.g. seeds from cereals and other crops that were hardier and grew better were selected for planting the following year to produce better yield. With GM organisms however the modifications that occur are ones that couldn't possibly occur in nature e.g. adding genes from a virus to a plant to allow it to become virus resistant. Supporters of GM see the benefits as follows. Currently 25% of world food crops are lost through insect attack every year; that is enough to feed one billion people. Supporters of GM say that 'GM could reduce these losses to
GM Foods - Good or Bad?
GM Foods - Good or Bad? Humans have been modifying their food for thousands of years. Until the 20th century, this had to be done by breeding desirable characteristics into crops. This method requires a lot of effort and is rather imprecise. Genetic modification has enabled us to add qualities to crops that no amount of traditional breeding could. But in the 1960s, scientists made huge breakthroughs in their understanding of genetics. Many recognised that this new knowledge had the potential to revolutionise food production, creating huge benefits for the world. GM food promises to provide enormous benefits. Many modified crops could boost prosperity in the developing world and provide new choices for consumers. But there are huge risks involved in tampering with nature's code. GM foods could have unpredictable effects on the environment and on our health. The debate surrounding genetically modified foods has left consumers both confused and sceptical. Interest groups seem to produce experts whose views are so convincingly opposed that consumers simply don't know who to believe. Are genetically modified foods safe? Are they adequately labelled? Are they good for you? Are they bad for you? Will they save the earth or destroy it? Will they result in the cornering of the global food market by multinationals or will they bring to mankind the same benefits as genetically
Do the Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops Outweigh the Problems?
Do the Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops Outweigh the
The potential benefits and risks of genetically modifying food.
In this essay I will be looking at the potential benefits and risks of Genetically Modifying Food. The idea of genetically modifying food is, and has been, a subject of great debate for quite a while now, and all over the world GM food is available to buy. The argument for and against GM good is split into 4 main groups, the group that think GM is the way forward, and the way to reduce famine, increase health etc, the group that thinks that GM food is the way forward because it increases efficiency, i.e. no pesticides needed, faster growing, better yields etc, then there are the 2 groups against GM foods, those who fear GM foods to be damaging, and that we should only eat organic, and then there are those who believe that GM foods is playing god. Of course, not everyone fits into a single one of these categories, for example many people are on the fence about the issue, there are people who just don't care about the issue, and there are those who cross between the groups. There are some genuine Health risks that could arise from extensive genetic modification of foods, these risks include; New toxins and allergens in foods, Other damaging effects on health caused by unnatural foods, The creation of herbicide-resistant weeds, The spread of diseases across species barriers, Loss of bio-diversity in crops, The disturbance of ecological balance, Artificially induced
Genetic Modification - Good and Bad?
Genetic Modification - Good and Bad The British Medical Association defines genetic modification as "The Process of altering genetic material to express different characteristics." Genetic modification is not a new concept it has been occurring for many years through the basic method of selective breeding. I will now look at the phrase Genetic Modification. To modify something means to change it in some way, the reason to change something is to provide us with benefits, Modifying genetics in animal is not a new concept, but modifying plants is. As scientific technology has progressed GM has become more specific, scientists can now alter just one gene in an animals body. My knowledge of this subject is very small; before I venture into this essay with my opinion that Genetic modification is a good thing, it increases crop yield, strengthens countries economies and has the potential to save lives.(1) Genetic engineering evolves restriction enzymes to cut DNA at specific sequences to create "sticky ends" which will stick to other "sticky ends" made by the same enzyme. DNA ligase is used to re-join the DNA backbone when sticky ends pair up. Plasmids, short loops of DNA found naturally in bacteria, are used to genetically modify bacteria. The plasmid is cut open with a restriction enzyme and mixed with the target gene. DNA ligase is used to seal the gene of interest into the
Motor Neurone Disease Information Brochure
Motor Neurone Disease The Cause of the Disease: Motor Neurone Disease, or MND is caused by the breakdown of nerve cells in the brain that control the muscles. Motor Neurone Disease is broken into three main types: * Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common type and affects about half of the people with MND. It mainly causes muscle weakness and stiffness. * Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) affects around a quarter of people diagnosed with MND. This causes muscle weakness, wasting, and twitching. * Progressive bulbar palsy affects the final quarter of people with MND. This makes speaking and swallowing difficult. Sufferers may inherit the disease or it may occur sporadically. Some people with familial MND have the disorder because of a mutation in one particular gene. A mutation is an error in the genetic code which causes a gene to work abnormally. This gene is called the superoxide dismutase 1 gene (SOD1) and is located on chromosome 21. About 15% of familial MND is caused by mutations in the SOD1 gene. People who inherit a faulty SOD1 gene have a high, but as yet uncertain, chance of developing MND in later life. However, some people with a mutation in their SOD1 gene will not develop MND during their lifetime. Some people who appear to have sporadic MND also have mutations in the SOD1 gene. The proportion is not known. Mutations in other
Should we clone humans?
T.O.K Essay (Should we clone humans?) When I was young, I was used to read books and watch movies about fantasy on every weekend. That was the great source of happiness to me at that time. The reason that I was mad about fantasy novels and movies was that story in novel and movie cannot be happened in our life that is, there was no reality in the story. That can be happened only in the story in novel and movie. That was the major point that I was attracted by the stories in fantasy novel and movies. However, what I have believed it is impossible to happen is becoming reality such as cloning human. Especially, human cloning is getting closer to reality. So I am going to talk about human cloning which has being argued whether it should be allowed or not. There will be both positive aspects and negative aspects if we clone the human. What would be positive aspects if we clone the human? . Human cloning will be a good way to have a baby for those people who can't have a baby naturally. 2, People will be able to inherit a healthy organ without any disease by using human cloning even if their parents haven't got a healthy organ (hereditary disease will not be inherited) It would be an attractive aspect for those who are suffering from hereditary disease physically, emotionally. 3. Human cloning will be able to revive a person who was particularly meaningful for their
Has science finally gone too far? I am not sure.
Joshua Gendron Pro/Con essay CLONING Has science finally gone too far? I am not sure. For years the subject of cloning has captured the imaginations of authors and movie directors. Cloning is the act of creating an animal or even a person that is genetically identical to its "parent." Until February of 1997, the subject seemed farfetched and fictional, because no one really realized how close we had actually advanced in cloning research. There are many pros and cons, including ethical and moral issues. During February of 1997 an embryologist, Dr. Ian Wilmut, announced the birth of a cloned lamb named Dolly. She was the first ever successfully cloned mammal from an adult cell. What Dr. Wilmut did was amazing. He took the DNA from a six-year-old ewe and fused it with the egg of another ewe after removing the second ewe's own DNA. After fusing, the cell began to divide, like a regular embryo. The embryo was then implanted in a third ewe, which gave birth to Dolly a few months later. Many people started to question the possibility of not only creating genetically identical sheep, but also humans. There have been a lot of arguments over whether or not the cloning of humans and animals is ethical or even moral. Also there has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not the benefits of cloning outweigh the dangers. The pros in cloning are easy to see. Dr. Wilmut's new
Do the potential risks justify stopping the development of GM foods when they could be a benefit to developing countries?
Do the potential risks justify stopping the development of GM foods when they could be a benefit to developing countries? On the one hand we can say it would be immoral to stop the development of GM foods when they are such a benefit to poor developing countries. GM crops can be developed with resistance to problems such as disease and pests, therefore we can produce greater yields and help feed members of developing countries. However on the other hand, there are a lot of risks involved, and it is fair to ask if there is actually a benefit to the more developing countries, maybe we are being 'blackmailed' into the decision of continuing with the development of GM foods, by being told that it is the 'morally right' decision. If we look at the wider picture of things we can see that GE seeds are infact very expensive. Are the farmers in these developing countries expected to purchase these seeds themselves? Will they be able to afford it? Are they going to be able to buy enough to solve their problems? It is unlikely that the production of GM foods is going to solve hunger problems in these developing countries. It is then we come down to the question, do the risks outweigh the benefits? A concern on genetically modified food is if it is actually safe to eat. Promoters of GM foods will tell us that they are thoroughly tested and that we can be assured that they are safe. We
