Genetic Engineering
By Ethan Flynn, Period 6
Would Genetic Engineering benefit or harm us?
Evidence that Genetic engineering is a good thing to have.
There is a problem in California that has a shortage of salmon, in the New York times, it says who is helping California to save its salmon and how,
"John Carlos Garza, a geneticist, has become a key figure in California's effort to preserve its decimated salmon stocks. Using the latest genetic techniques, he and his team decide which individual fish should be bred together."
Genetic engineering can also bring prevent genetic diseases that can cause great problems or even be fatal,
"In April 2015, Doudna's pondering became reality. A Chinese research team used CRISPR-Cas9 to snip DNA in defective human embryos in order to correct a genetic defect."
We could also help endangered species and increase its diversity to increase its survival,
"Perhaps the technology, Mr. McManus said, can be expanded from a small subset of conservation hatcheries that focus on the most endangered species to the bigger facilities relied upon by the fishing industry and "infuse wildlike diversity back into hatchery production.""
Genetic engineering can remove genetic diseases another way by introducing another parent,
"An elite panel of scientists and bioethicists offered guarded approval Wednesday of a novel form of genetic engineering that could prevent congenital diseases but would result in babies with genetic material from three parents."
It is also possible to clone species like mammals, but for birds this article says,
"Currently, this is a hot topic in avian biotech, as it is impossible to clone a bird in the way that mammals are cloned. Multiple pathways are being explored, so pursuing a variety of routes is necessary for our work.... This technology is being pioneered right now."
The Argument against Genetic Engineering
Then there is designer babies, people say this will ruin lives, the child's and others, and could cause a whole new society, for better or worst.
People dislike cloning of animals too, but we will need this to bring back species we killed off, accidentally or on purpose, and might even help solve the food world food problem.