GENETIC ENGINEERING

We have become a population of specialists, with each person so deep in his chosen field that he scarcely realizes the existence of other fields. Perhaps biology is ignored more than most other fields because of its stereotypical image. When people think of biology, they picture a scientist wearing a white lab coat (complete with pocket protectors), carrying numerous volumes of big, pictureless books, and muttering confusing, multisyllabic words. Although this is one type of biologist, most scientists do not fit this description. Regardless of their appearance, these scientists' labors cannot be ignored-especially in the field of genetics--because they affect everyone: philosophers, lawyers, priests, and laypersons. Geneticists, specifically genetic engineers, propose to alter the genetic constitution of the human race, and in so doing, end genetic disease, mental illness, and hunger.

Although a relatively young discipline, genetics has assumed a position of central importance in biology. No so long ago, biology was fragmented into many camps that rarely communicated with each other. Cell biology, physiology, embryology, and evolution were all separate fields without a real unifying concept. Today, however, "every biologist must be a bit of a geneticist, because the findings and techniques of genetics are being applied in all fields" (Suzuki 2). Genetics, in fact, provides the modern paradigm for all of biology. In

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oversial area of genetic research--is simply the exact reproduction of an organism that is created by God, is it not? An example of the limitations researchers face is the fact that of the over seven million genes in the average human, scientists can identify the function of less than 1% of the genes (Jackson 203). Also, as we learn more about genetic construction and activity, we begin to realize that nearly all serious diseases have a basis in genetics. Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, alcoholism, polio--all these have genetics as a common cause (Lipkin 47). Finally, the extraordinarily small possibility of a laboratory error creating a virulent, dangerous threat to mankind is far outweighed by the known advantages of genetic research. All research includes a calculated risk because, by definition, research enters a new realm about which we can only hypothesize. Does this mean that we should stop all research? Because the Center for Disease Control may hypothetically be the origin of a dreaded disease, do we stop cancer research? of course not; we should not waver in the pursuit of genetic information. Dr. Lewis Thomas commented on the fear that all new ideas seem to propagate: It would not surprise me to learn that t
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Approximate Word count = 2061
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)