Genetics today is on the cutting edge of biological science, and scientists working in this area are involved in a wide variety of pursuits that will have profound implications for our future on this planet, with projects including the creation of new biologic entities, curing diseases, manufacturing synthetic versions of biologic substances, identifying different genetic codes and what they do, and perhaps finding a way to control that genetic information to produce animals with certain characteristics or without certain characteristics, including greater strength, resistance to disease, and a higher yield in meat, eggs, dairy products, or whatever they provide. Geneticists have already accomplished many of these things with grains, plants, and even certain farm animals. They are addressing disease through the creation of new strains of bacteria by means of recombinant DNA technology. Speculation about the future may be surpassed by the reality in a very few years.
Recombinant DNA is DNA molecules derived from different sources that have been artificially spliced together in vitro to form novel hybrid DNA molecules not normally encountered in nature. Modern genetic engineering techniques based on recombinant DNA permit genetic exchanges between species that do not normally interbreed thus offering the opportunity for us to transcend the limits imposed by nature on hereditary processes. Using these techniques, scientists can manipulate genes individually by directly modifying the DNA molecules in which genetic information is encoded. This means that the technique has the potential to transform the genes of all species into a global resource that can be used to shape novel life forms obedient to the scientist rather than to the dictates of natural selection (Suzuki & Knudtson, 1989, pp. 115-116).
The sorts of genetic changes science has been seeking can be seen in the recently announcement by a combination of U.S. and Brit...