introduction to genetic engineering?
What is Genetic Engineering?
Genetic engineering is altering the sequence of DNA molecules. It uses a set of technology that can change the genetic makeup of cells, as well as moving these genes across species boundaries to produce novel organisms. These genes determine a specific trait an organism will have, so by moving these genes from one organism to another, the traits are transferred. Genetic engineering gives the opportunity for new combinations of gene, giving new combinations of traits that do not happen normally in nature. This type of artificial breeding is extremely different from traditional plant and animal breeding, which can use theories of natural selection to get better offspring. When these organisms are changed through genetic engineering they are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
People use genetic engineering to for several reasons. A common reason is to create stronger and better organisms, for example they would create a potato that is resistant to phytophthora infestans, which is a potato disease that was the cause of the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. This would make the potato plant more reliable and drastically reduce the chance of another famine to happen. Potatoes naturally do not have a resistance to this disease making it impossible for this immunity to happen in nature. But scientists can take find any plant that has this resistance and take the genes for that specific resistance and mix it with the genes of potatoes to create a potato plant that is immunity to this disease. Genetic engineering has almost no limits, because there is only one language of life, DNA. And because of that there isn't any species that they cannot combine the genes from. They have been able to create things as crazy as a chicken with four legs and no wings. There are very few limitations to what genetic engineering can do; our imagination, and our moral or ethics code. Without putting limits in place, than that lets scientists change the very basis of life, permanently. A mistake could occur making something that could be very dangerous, and if we don't monitor what scientists are doing than these things could happen.
Genetic engineering is altering the sequence of DNA molecules. It uses a set of technology that can change the genetic makeup of cells, as well as moving these genes across species boundaries to produce novel organisms. These genes determine a specific trait an organism will have, so by moving these genes from one organism to another, the traits are transferred. Genetic engineering gives the opportunity for new combinations of gene, giving new combinations of traits that do not happen normally in nature. This type of artificial breeding is extremely different from traditional plant and animal breeding, which can use theories of natural selection to get better offspring. When these organisms are changed through genetic engineering they are called genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
People use genetic engineering to for several reasons. A common reason is to create stronger and better organisms, for example they would create a potato that is resistant to phytophthora infestans, which is a potato disease that was the cause of the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. This would make the potato plant more reliable and drastically reduce the chance of another famine to happen. Potatoes naturally do not have a resistance to this disease making it impossible for this immunity to happen in nature. But scientists can take find any plant that has this resistance and take the genes for that specific resistance and mix it with the genes of potatoes to create a potato plant that is immunity to this disease. Genetic engineering has almost no limits, because there is only one language of life, DNA. And because of that there isn't any species that they cannot combine the genes from. They have been able to create things as crazy as a chicken with four legs and no wings. There are very few limitations to what genetic engineering can do; our imagination, and our moral or ethics code. Without putting limits in place, than that lets scientists change the very basis of life, permanently. A mistake could occur making something that could be very dangerous, and if we don't monitor what scientists are doing than these things could happen.