Genetic engineering is possibly the most controversial topic in science currently. Many people are on both sides, with some believing that Genetic engineering is marvelous technology, and others believing that it is awful technology. Although some aspects of genetic engineering are good, such as gene therapy curing diseases, and GMOs helping end starvation, in total genetic engineering is negative. With environmental concerns, financial concerns, Health concerns etc, in Genetically modified Organisms (GMO), de- extinction, and cloning.
First, GMOs. GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms are typically known for their use on plants. This can be harmful to the environment. This is because plants are becoming resistant to pesticides,hindering the crops,then, they are limiting the number of non-GMO crops. Finally, the pesticides can run into the water, damaging water quality. Another reason GMOs are bad is because of health concerns. Long term exposure to certain GMOs is linked to cancer according to one California study. Certain GMOs cause allergic reactions.
Then there is De-Extinction. De- Extension is bring back extinct animals such as the passenger pigeon. If that sounds unnatural to you, you’re not alone because it is. Besides being unnatural, de-Extension has ecosystem concerns too. By re-creating a new species, we could damage ecosystems significantly. First, we are disrupting an already damaged food chain by putting a new species in. We are also putting an animal in a new ecosystem that it is not used to.
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The new animal will also never assume it’s former role in the environment( Liza Lester, 2016). Then, there are financial considerations. The technology of de-extinction isn’t quite there yet, so we are bargaining on the technology to eventually be successful. De-Extension is also very expensive, draining money from the already limited conservation resources. Past the initial cost of the technology, the organisms will need training and monitoring costing even more money.
Cloning is possibly the worst of all of the three. Not only is it a waste of money, but it could cause much more harm than good. Many celebrities, or more specifically, Barbra Streisand are spending money on cloning. They use genetic material from the original animal to create a brand new animal, this time a puppy, hopefully being the exact same as the original. Unfortunately that’s not what happens.
The new one is typically different, being a waste of money and resources. But cloning for science must be good right? This is a question I asked myself, before research. Sadly, this is not the case. Cloning monkeys for study on cancer may be faulted by unexpected mutations and diseases. Cloned animals also have a very short life span, such as Dolly the sheep, who only lived half the life of a normal sheep. This may be for a few reasons Including immune issues, shorter telomeres or other diseases.
In conclusion, this is why I believe that genetic engineering is a bad thing. Although there are many good aspects of genetic engineering such as GMOs growing more plants and feeding our growing population and gene therapy curing genetic diseases,the negatives, in my opinion,outweigh the positives with financial,health, and environmental concerns in GMOS, de-extinction, and cloning.
