Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

Lake Zurich High School Student Media

Bear Facts

Modifying genes creates more positive future for babies

 

The idea of changing the DNA of a child is filling the world of genetics today. Genetic engineering is beneficial to human life because it is safe to the human race, leads to the eradication of hereditary diseases, and precedes the expansion of human life. For this reason, the government should support funding toward genetic engineering.

 

As of now, the government is not funding genetic engineering, but they should to allow this field to grow. Others may say that genetic engineering goes against nature because you are born unnaturally, but it should be supported because of the benefits it provides towards human life in the future.

 

Humanity can benefit from the growing study of genetic engineering because it can improve lives in the long run. Without genetic engineering, people could be harmed though experimenting, more diseases could be passed on infinitely, and life spans could not be improved.

 

One of the most researched branches of genetic engineering is in-vitro fertilization. With this, parents can choose which fertilized egg they want to use, which allows them to avoid the passing down of a hereditary disease, including cancer. The avoided diseases can become so scarce that they might go extinct. With government funding, the dream of having diseases go extinct can be achieved, according to http://iptv.org/exploremore/.

An experimental model should be tested in great detail before even thinking about applying it to humans, Martha Vitaterna, research associate professor in the department of neurobiology at Northwestern University, said. Despite these dangers, scientists should continue to work on being able to experiment on humans because it could improve the lives of many people and greatly advance genetic research.

The study says that lifetimes could last from 100-150 years, according to http://brighthub.com

 

. Because of the lengthened life spans, people are able to fulfill their purpose in the world and enjoy life longer. Although the physical disadvantages of aging can be a problem, the idea that people can continue studying their greatest field of knowledge longer overrides those factors.

This study is not fully tested and is still being worked with, but this research should be continued to be able to further human life in the future.

“[Extending life spans] is an area where the technology could potentially be applied,” Vitaterna said. “But before you would be able to get to that point, you first need to know what genes would be the right target to extend a life span and what would be the other effects of manipulating this gene would be.”

 

 

 

Scientists are currently experimenting on mice until they are able to work on humans. The safety of humankind should be, and is, the highest priority to an engineer; therefore, the government should put more money into the study.

 

 

Although animal testing can be deemed as unethical, the safety of human life outweighs the minimal damage to animals.

 

Over 85 percent of mice survive genetic engineering testing, according to http://

 

 

boyd-group.demon.co.uk.

 

 

“I don’t think it’s feasible to do genetic engineering in people,” Vitaterna said. “But what you can do in in-vitro fertilization [by selecting] an embryo that does not have the disease chain that you and your spouse are carriers of.”

 

Further testing and technology can help improve the study of this field. The quality and length of human life obtains advantages from genetic testing and will continue to improve if genetic engineering experimentation continues.

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Lexi Fye, Print Editor-in-Chief

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