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But would not it be incredibly convenient if the human body could simply
regrow what it needed, such as a new kidney or arm? Genetic engineering can make
this a reality. Currently in the world, a single plant cell can differentiate
into all the components of an original, complex organism. Certain types of
salamanders can re-grow lost limbs, and some lizards can shed their tails when
attacked and later grow them again. Ever of functional tissues. But before
controlling the blastema is possible, a detailed knowledge of the switching
process by means of which the genes in the cell nucleus are selectively
activated and deactivated is needed (Stableford 90). To obtain proof that such a
procedure is possible one only needs to examine an early embryo and realize that
it knows whether to turn itself into an ostrich or a human. After learning the
procedure to control and activate regeneration, genetic engineering will be able
to conquer such ailments as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other crippling
diseases without grafting in new tissues. The broader scope of this technique
would allow the re-growth of lost limbs, repairing any damaged organs
internally, and the production of spare organs by growing them externally (Stableford
90).
Viewpoint 2 Ever since biblical times the lifespan of a human being has been
pegged at roughly 70 years. But is this number truly finite? In order to uncover
the answer, knowledge of the process of aging is needed. A common conception is
that the human body contains an internal biological clock which continues to
tick for about 70 years, then stops. An alternate watch analogy could be that
the human body contains a certain type of alarm clock, and after so many years,
the alarm sounds and deterioration beings. With that frame of thinking, the
human body does not begin to age until a particular switch is tripped. In
essence, stopping this process would simply involve a means of never allowing
the switch to be tripped. W. Donner Denckla, of the Roche Institute of Molecular
Biology, proposes that the alarm clock theory is true. He provides evidencefor
this statement by examining the similarities between normal aging and the
symptoms of ahormonal deficiency disease associated with the thyroid gland.
Denckla proposes that as we get older the pituitary gland begins to produce a
hormone which blocks the actions of the thyroid hormone, thus causing the body
to age and eventually die. If Denckla's theory is correct, conquering aging
would simply be a process of altering the pituitary's DNA so it would never be
allowed to release the aging hormone. In the years to come, genetic engineering
may finally defeat the most unbeatable enemy in the world, time (Stableford 94).
The morale and safety questions surrounding genetic engineering currently
cause this new science to be cast in a false light. Anti-technologists and
political extremists spread incorrect interpretation of facts coupled with
statements that genetic engineering is not natural and defies the order of
things. The morale question of biotechnology can be answered by studying where
the evolution of man is, and where it is leading our society. The safety
question can be answered by examining current safety precautions in industry,
and past safety records of many bioengineering projects already in place. The
evolution of man can be broken up into three basic stages. The first, lasting
millions of years, slowly shaped human nature from Homo erectus to Home sapiens.
Natural selection provided the means for countless random mutations resulting in
the appearance of such human characteristics as hands and feet. The second
stage, after the full development of the human body and mind, saw humans moving
from wild foragers to an agriculture based society. Natural selection received a
helping hand as man took advantage of random mutations in nature and bred more
productive species of plants and animals. The most bountiful wheats were
collected and re-planted, and the fastest horses were bred with equally faster
horses. Even in our recent history the strongest black male slaves were mated
with the hardest working female slaves. The third stage, still developing today,
will not require the chance acquisition of super-mutations in nature. Man will
be able to create such super-species without the strict limitations imposed by
natural selection. By examining the natural slope of this evolution, the third
stage is a natural and inevitable plateau that man will achieve (Stableford 8).
This omniscient control of our world may seem completely foreign, but the
thought of the Egyptians erecting vast pyramids would have seem strange to Homo
erectus as well. Conclusion Many claim genetic engineering will cause unseen
disasters spiraling our world into chaotic darkness. However, few realize that
many safety nets regarding bioengineering are already in effect.
The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed under the National
Institute of Health to provide guidelines for research on engineered bacteria
for industrial use. The RAC has also set very restrictive guidelines requiring
Federal approval if research involves pathogenicity (the rare ability of a
microbe to cause disease) (Davis, Roche 69). It is well established that most
natural bacteria do not cause disease. After many years of experimentation,
microbiologists have demonstrated that they can engineer bacteria that are
idence of regeneration is all around and the science of genetic engineering is
slowly mastering its techniques. Regeneration in mammals is essentially a kind
of controlled cancer, called a blastema. The cancer is deliberately formed at
the regeneration site and then converted into a structure just as safe as their
natural counterparts (Davis and Rouche 70). In fact the RAC reports that there
has not been a single case of illness or harm caused by recombinant [engineered]
bacteria, and they now are used safely in high school experiments (Davis and
Rouche 69). Scientists have also devised other methods of preventing bacteria
from escaping their labs, such as modifying the bacteria so that it will die if
it is removed from the laboratory environment. This creates a shield of complete
safety for the outside world. It is also thought that if such bacteria were to
escape it would act like smallpox or anthrax and ravage the land. However,
laboratory-created organisms are not as competitive as pathogens. Davis and
Roche sum it up in extremely laymen's terms, no matter how much Frostban you
dump on a field, it's not going to spread (70). In fact Frostbran, developed by
Steven Lindow at the University of California, Berkeley, was sprayed on a test
field in 1987 and was proven by a RAC committee to be completely harmless
(Thompson 104). Fear of the unknown has slowed the progress of many scientific
discoveries in the past. The thought of man flying or stepping on the moon did
not come easy to the average citizens of the world. But the fact remains, they
were accepted and are now an everyday occurrence in our lives. Genetic
engineering is in its period of fear and misunderstandifng, but like every great
discovery in history, it will enjoy its time of realization and come into full
use in society. The world is on the brink of the most exciting step into human
evolution ever, and through knowledge and exploration, should welcome it and its
possibilities with open arms.
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