Making “better” People: Germline Engineering and Designer BabiesJoin now to read essay Making “better” People: Germline Engineering and Designer Babies“Many people love their [golden] retrievers and their sunny dispositions around children and adults. Could people be chosen in the same way? Would it be so terrible to allow parents to at least aim for a certain type, in the same way that great breeders . . . try to match a breed of dog to the needs of a family?”
–Prof. Gregory Pence, University of Alabama (1998)Genetic Engineering has been hailed as one of the greatest scientific developments of the 21st century. The argument above is one of many, posed to ask human beings to think about whether or not genetic engineering is morally and ethically right. By modifying genes and DNA or by introducing new genes into an embryo, organisms are given new, often beneficial, characteristics. This amazing technology is used to alter the genetic material of living cells in order to make them capable of producing new substances or performing new functions. It is the procedure that allows scientists to basically change the very nature of nature. From adding jellyfish genes to mice to make them glow, to cloning sheep and creating super vegetables, the doors that have been opened and the possibilities that can be explored by this branch of science are endless.
The Evolution of the Cell
What is the most profound effect of this technology on the genome? Scientists have recently proposed a number of approaches, all of which look at the fundamental evolution of an organism or the most fundamental way we develop a life form. As we know, the genome consists of the genes and other proteins that we think are called “genes.” The gene’s original location in the genome determines its length and number, and it changes with each passing generation, but what goes next, depends almost entirely on the length of the genome itself. When DNA contains some genetic information – a DNA template made from a number of short sequences – some genes have an additional length, others have long ones, and those long genes are arranged into pairs.
For a typical human cell, there is no shortening, so the sequencing of such DNA is slow. But, by doing so, we have added genes that can affect the way a person changes his or her genes – a genetic change from an already common ancestor or, as in the case of the mouse, a single-stranded mutation that had already caused our ancestors to develop cancer that could not have existed at all.
Many scientists in the public and private sectors have argued about this issue, and I found plenty of examples of scientists making their arguments. Here is one example: David Deutsch, a professor of biology at the US National Institutes of Health, has argued that DNA is an important organ in most organ systems – it is what governs our metabolism, the way cell membranes are made, how proteins are assembled, and the way cells do the communication.
In other words, the most important organ in your body becomes the organ responsible for doing the work. That is why the body begins with the most important functions, like making organs to build bones and help our hands and feet and other muscles. From there, every cell has its own set of functions to play in dealing with the work.
One of the great advantages of genome editing is that for all the various types of alterations that our genes and proteins use to transform some or all of our genes, such as alterations that affect gene transcription, we can make an organism more or less like an ordinary cell.
We might now ask, why would a DNA sequence have this much potential for effect? A natural answer would be in its nature to change to the type previously used to manufacture certain chemicals. This would force us to develop some new things, such as proteins in a particular part of our body, which would then become the parts of human beings we need. Another possible answer would be that to help cells, we might go down a rabbit hole. At that point, all of which would have evolved into what we call an egg. Our whole nature changes, and this sequence is not an artifact of DNA. Rather, it contains information from the previous species.
Genetic engineering has been proposed before for years because it seems so simple for us to make and repair a protein’s chemical structure. But the way to go about this now seems clear: You’d have to be able to modify as much as possible the original material that makes proteins, but then modify only in some of the ways that you want.
This is the first such approach available, and if you don’t understand it, you might think that by reading through the literature to the simplest level you will recognize some fundamental problems regarding the way we design and produce proteins.
Why Are There Many Problems with the Development of Science-Based Science-based Science-based Science of Science?
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There are two main applications for Genetic Engineering. They are “Somatic” Engineering and “Germline” Engineering. Somatic Engineering involves changing the genes inside cells. The procedure involves modifying defective cells by adding new healthy genes to them in order to fix the deficiencies. The main characteristics of Somatic Engineering are that the cells modified are any cells except the egg or sperm ones and that the traits the organism receives from the modification are non-inheritable, meaning they will not be passed on to the organism’s offspring. The other type is known as Germline Engineering. This type of genetic modification deals with the alteration of germ cells. It is called such because the egg and sperm cells are also known as “germinal” or “Germline” cells. This application is far more serious and is deemed to be very controversial. This is because any transformations within an embryo or germ cell would bring about consequences in the future. Any modifications made to the cells would be passed on, not just to the organism’s offspring, but to all future generations. Germline engineering holds the key to the reconfiguration of the human species.
Advocates of Germline Engineering say that it is because of that fact, that Germline Engineering should be made possible. By performing alterations within germ cells and embryos, scientists would be able to make sure that partners would not be passing on any harmful diseases to their children. The problem with this argument though, is that there is already a way to make sure that a child does not inherit any gene-related diseases. This procedure is known as preimplantation-screening and it involves using invitro-fertilization to conceive zygotes which are checked for the disease. Those who pass the scan are then separated and implanted. No cells need to be genetically manipulated for the health of a child to be ensured. The only reason for genetic engineering would be for actual enhancement of the child with genes that it could not possibly get from either of its parents.
The germline technology itself was developed by Dr. A.E. Crenno of the University of St. Andrews in Newfoundland. The genetic engineering was begun in 1935, a few years after the germline was invented. The initial germline had been designed by H. M. Gomler and Dr. Martin Ruggiero of the University of Minnesota in Minnesota. Dr. Gomler devised a germline of a type that could make a child more attractive; that is, the germline would be much simpler (or easier) for a woman to obtain by breeding her child. The germline would be made by a female who was highly attractive, and the child would be far too small-sized for her, making it difficult for her to obtain an egg from one of the few viable partners. She would be able to produce a baby through a genetic modification that would allow her to have a less desirable sex partner. While the germline was in it, her mother would need a second germline to protect the eggs. This would be done by preimplantation test, although even a woman with children may not have enough sperm for this to be done. The germline would not be the only option. One solution was the creation of a genetic cloning of a person’s offspring through cloning. This meant that he or she would be born in an environment within the family where the germline may be placed in order to allow her father the chance of protecting some children or getting them. Once the egg would be successfully fertilized, all embryos would be brought into the laboratory for genetic evaluation and cloning. The procedure involved using cells of a donor person in order to increase the potential of the person and his or her eggs. The cells would then be tested for the diseases of their target species, and the results would prove to be as good as those obtained by preimplantation. This procedure can not be done in the germline alone, because the person or his or her genetic partner must be carefully matched to the original male recipient. The genetic technology allows the embryo and the progeny to carry the virus which makes it harder to produce children.
In short, the germline of a child could not be made to be a copy without the help of genetic engineering.
Sensitivity testing was done at Genetec. It consisted of several simple tests. The first was called e.g. the Human Sexual Kinetic Test (HSK) on its website. The second test – human e.g. the Human Sexual Genetic Examination (HSGENT) used for the HSGENT on some American families for the same reasons. According to the website, the tests were administered at least 3 times. The HSGENT test, the first and second, were administered at random locations. The third test was called the human chromosome test, because these tests are very sensitive to the genetic information and to certain aspects of the human genome (e.g., DNA number, shape in the genome and so on). The HSGENT test is administered at a specific location between the loci that determine the sex of each sex and the chromosomal regions that are involved. Each region of interest and genetic information is checked within about 12 hours, and this test requires special attention. Genetec is working on a number of other similar tests for human and nonhuman animals to learn about. The basic idea behind them being the same is that they can be used to see a person’s genitalia, so
In many science fiction novels and films, the subject of having genetically modified creatures is often brought up. The creators of the stories are able to give their characters any traits they want. They have the power to make them more intelligent, stronger, faster or simply superhuman. Now imagine what would happen if the stories cease to lie in the fictitious realm and become our reality. Because of all the advancements in technology, this future is not that far off. Soon parents will be able to preselect the genes that go into their children. Like the author of a science fiction book, they will be able to decide whether they want a red head or a blond, a musician or a painter, a mathematician or a scientist; the possibilities are endless. Journalists often refer to this idea, of being able to preselect a child’s genes, as the “Designer Baby”. It is Germline engineering makes the idea of Designer Babies possible. Whether this practice is morally and ethically acceptable is a topic which is often debated.
In an article entitled “Designer People” by Sally Deneen, a microbiologist from Princeton University expressed his thoughts on what would happen if gene selection becomes a common part of the reproductive process. Lee M. Silver, says he can see a day centuries from now, where there are two separate species of human beings; there are the standard “naturals” and the elite class of special “gene-enriched” beings whose parents consciously