Ian+G10

= = = = = = = = = = = = =__Human Genetic Engineering__ =

=Information= Genetic engineering is a set of technologies that is being used to change the genetic makeup of cells and mix genes from different species to create different organisms. Genes design an organism's think, act and how they look. Mixing genes from one organism to other transfers combines those traits. Through genetic engineering, genes are change in organisms. They do not develop naturally. Genetic engineering is very different from the original way of plant and animal breeding. Healthy people do not need to do gene therapy to survive, but it could help to treat certain diseases. Some gene therapy research has been done on some groups such as people with weak immune systems that do not protect them from the germs and irritants around them, like 'bubble children', for example. In 1990 the first experiment of gene therapy of human was done, but gene therapy is still experimental. Other kinds of human genetic engineering are still only theories. DNA is study to understand how they affect human and to study gene expression and various human diseases. Study genes have given drastic changes in mice and other animals. However; it is usually illegal to do genes testing on humans. Sometimes changes usually come from removing genetic material from one organism and putting them into another species, which is call recombinant genetics. =How To Do It?=  There are two main types of genetic engineering. One is somatic modifications. It involves adding genes to cells, but other cell than egg or sperm cells. For example, to treat disorders healthy genes could be added to affected cells for people with diseases caused by defective genes. The thing about somatic engineering is that it can not be inherited.  The second type is germline engineering. This works by changing genes in eggs, sperm, or very early embryos. The result of this kind of engineering is can be inherited. This means that the change genes would be not only in the children that resulted from the procedure, but in all the following generations.   There are two ways researchers are experimenting. The first one is to use viruses. Viruses are good at injecting their DNA into people’s cells and reproducing themselves. By adding the DNA to the virus, a small amount of virus will reproduce the DNA and throughout the body. The second one is to manufacture a lot of DNA, and somehow get the target cells to accept it.

Nanotechnology could be used to implement gene changes. Nanotechnology is an expression of small devices or machines that are able to operate at the nanoscale level. These can modify the human body’s directive in theoretically.

=The Possibilities of it?= Human genetic engineering means that some of a person’s genes or DNA has been changed. It is possible that people could be given more arms, bigger brains or other structural alterations if desired. A more common type of change would be finding the genes of special people - such as genes for intelligence, stamina, and longevity, and put them into embryos. Human genetic engineering probably is able to cure diseases and increasing the immunity in people to viruses, for example genetic disease like Cystic fibrosis, which affects the lungs and other important organs is the can be cured by small changes of DNA.  There are a lot of possibilities of genetic engineering. They can increase strength, speed, endurance, etc. Also the baby can be made taller, more beautiful; the changes possible are really up to the imagination, and the ability of the techniques employed by future gene manipulators. Some people have been identified with extraordinary physical abilities, and their genes could be identified and replaced into the target embryo. Also the possibility that science will advance so much that people will create genes not identified in nature. = = = = = = = = =The problem of human genetic engineering=  There are many different way against human genetic engineering, including the safety issues. Also they think it people loss the identity and personality, and human diversity, but there are some moral and religious issues such as it is willful to change the DNA of human embryos, because they think god create human, if people change some DNA or genes which means human is man made, so they think it is illegal. Also there are some problems in economy. The genetic engineering is very expensive, because the technical is very advanced, so which means it needs a lot of money for this.

More informaton:


 * "Human Genetic Engineering." __Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org__. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/human-genetic-engineering.htm>.]
 * "Human genetic engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." __Main Page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia__. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering>.]
 * "What Is Genetic Engineering?." __Union__ __of Concerned Scientists__. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_environment/genetic_engineering/what-is-genetic-engineering.html>.]
 * "Human Genetic Engineering." __Leadership__ __University__. 21 Apr. 2008 <[|http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/humgeneng.html>.]

<span style="color: rgb(223, 22, 22)">__**Mr. Covington's Comments**__

-Very little one-world discussion -No in text references

Crit A: 2 Crit B: 3