Week 8
Article for Genetic Engineering
Genetic Engineering. A blessing or a curse?
In order to
develop the world, people nowadays are trying to find some better ways for
science to create new, unique life for everyone in this planet!! Genetic
Engineering was “born” during the 21st century, and it is most used
on plants, animals and microbes. It is something that regards every different
person. Since Genetic Engineering is applied to these products, it has
presented some advantages but also some disadvantages.
First of
all, by genetically engineered bacteria, scientists produce insulin and human
growth hormone and also it prevents food production and famines. Moreover it
could be an incredibly powerful tool if it’s used properly. By the application of Genetic
Engineering on plants, we noticed that this is making the plant resistant to
herbicide. Without the weeds, the crops would grow better and yield more, thus
decreasing the amount of land that must be used for agriculture. They also got
drought resistance, so less water could br diverted from rivers and lakes,
which would then retain more of their natural condition.
Furthermore,
Genetic engineering helped people to produce by the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium a protein that is poisonous to
insects but not to humans and in this way it is relatively easy to transfer the
gene for this toxin to plants, creating what are known as bt plants. In Genetic engineering they don’t use any chemical
pesticides or fertilizers and they try to work with nature as much as possible. Their products have become
the country’s biggest export. Their crops suffer from uch lower levels of
insect damage and they have to spray much less pesticide.
On the other
hand disadvantages of Genetic Engineering such as serious health risks by the
heavier uses of herbicide thus increasing the amount of chemical residues in
our food. Also, about drought resistance there might be some problems because
if we ended government subsidies and price support systems that disort the true
need for foods, food would not be grown just to be warehoused or discarded. In
addition insect resistance which is caused by the Genetic engineering it
concludes to vast amounts of toxic pollen blow away from corn fields, landing
on the leaves of other plants, coating them with a poisonous “dust”. There is
also worry that the corn’s pollen even contaminates the stigmas and the nectar
of other plants, harming their pollinators.
To other
people, Genetic Engineering is a dangerously untested science that threatens
environmental disasters. The only people who really seem to benefit are the
farmers who grow the crops and seed companies who provide the seeds, while
there are environmental risks that affect as all. And that is because smaller
farmers have been squeezed off their land by the expansion of the mega-farms
and huge areas of natural forest are being cleared to make way for more soya.
But peoples’ biggest fear is that the genetically modified genes may spread
into other non-GM crops and in this way can we be all affected neither choosing
it or not!!..
To conclude,
many of us are wondering if this “resistance of science” is at the end a bless
or a curse..I strongly believe that statistics and proves can’t influence our
mind and our believes! If someone is not supporting this method, then it
shouldn’t be in his options. No-one is saying GM is the total solution to all
these problems. But if there is a chance it can provide some of the answers,
then we need to pursue it.
