Genetic engineering! does it benefit man kind only? and is it ethitical?

Answer 1

It depends what you mean by 'genetic engineering'. A lot of the information the general public is given on the subject is incorrect e.g. the 'ear-mouse' a few years ago was actually an experiment on tissue reconstruction, nothing to do with genetics.
Genetic engineering is most commonly used in research to develop mice and other test subjects which have (or more commonly, lack) specific characteristics. For example, 'knock-out' mice are mice which have had a specific gene 'knocked out' of their genome in order to study the effects of lacking that particular gene product. Whether this in itself is ethical leads on to a whole different argment on animal testing, but it certainly means that the reams of data produced by the Human Genome Project and other genomic sequences can be decoded as we establish the functions of more and more genes.
In the not-too-distant future, we hope to be able to use this information to produce genetic therapies for congenital diseases, among other things. This is a technology which will not necessarily only apply to humans although it's applications in veterinary science will probably not be established until a later date.
As with all science, genetic engineering is as ethical and the people who use it. There is always the opportunity for misuse of technologies - look at nuclear power and nuclear warfare - but it can be kept in check by strict governing regulations and by the vigilance of the majority of the scientific community. However I think given the huge potential for disease therapy and advances in our understanding of our mos basic functionality, genetic engineering in itself cannot be considered unethical.

Answer 2

As with everything, there are different types of genetic engineering. There is genetic modification of food crops to make rice carry vitamin A, or to make tomatoes last longer - what is unethical about that? Then there is genetic modification of other food crops to boost the profits of certain agro-chemical and seed companies - in my view, very shaky ethics there. There is the genetic engineering used to produce advanced drugs - again in my view wholly acceptable. You need to judge all cases on their merits, there are no blanket judgements.

Answer 3

i think of the variables are so unmanageable that it incredibly is impossible to foretell how genetic engineering will influence the evolution of guy. i think of Shane ok's thought is on the mark. it incredibly is seems to me that shall we finally end up with distinctive "varieties" or "breeds" of people, say something comparable to the time whilst Neanderthals and CroMagnons existed as contemporaries...which has been carried out in SciFi. it incredibly is an enticing question, and that i think of history shows us that if a technologies is accessible it's going to be used.

Answer 4

I am sure if someone with today's modern medicine were to go back to 1200 AD, they would be burned at the stake for witchcraft. Life moves on and ethics papers will be modified in due course.

Answer 5

i want to be a geneticist there work is to deal with genetic disease lik bisexuality, reserching more on AIDS,and finding new development in human genesit can benefit to a human bcoz as disease decreases our population increases also it can benefitt plants i can only tell u this now!

Answer 6

There are some things man isn't supposed to know....