Genetic engineering is a hot topic in the scientific community, especially recently. As a student in biology, I had a pretty solid background in a lot of the techniques discussed at the Table Talk. I am generally a supporter of genetic engineering when it comes to GMO (genetically modified organisms) is agriculture to produce larger crops and pest-resistant crops. These crops can help increase crop yield and can have implications for helping farmers in developing countries. However, some of the other topics we discussed are more controversial. The genetically engineered baby from China raises some huge ethical questions. I don’t think it is ethical to design a perfect baby and it could help perpetuate classism if it became a common practice. This theme has been demonstrated in Sci-Fi movies like Gattaca, where the wealthy controlled the genetic engineering and the poor could never compete with their perfect genes. However, the potential to prevent horrible genetic diseases before the baby is even born is ethical and an amazing advancement in medicine. It can be difficult to decide where the line should be drawn when discussing technology like this. With the advancements in science that are happening every day, it is essential that we start thinking about these questions because the day that we will need the answers is fast approaching. I really enjoyed this Table Talk and found it to be a very thought-provoking conversation about a topic I already had an interest in.
Rose Scholars Fall 2019
Endless possibilities
I agree that if used ethically, methods of genetic engineering have a huge potential to benefit society. Recently in my genetics class, the professor brought up an interesting point regarding genetically modifying organisms; that nature has been doing this for millions of years. He discussed some of the possible ways in which DNA segments of one organism can be introduced into another, unrelated organism and give it new characteristics. This concept was totally new to me, and has given me a new perspective in the debate on GMOs. Further, many people who oppose GMOs argue that they are unnatural, and that scientists are “playing god”, however in light of this new information it seems that scientists are simply modifying a phenomenon that has been naturally occurring for millions of years. It is no more unnatural than when people choose to mate certain breeds of domestic dogs to produce puppies with desirable traits, otherwise known as artificial selection. I believe that if people became more scientifically literate, then there would be less opposition to scientific procedures that have clear benefits to society.