In the 1970’s a show known as “The Six Million Dollar Man” showcased a fictional story of an astronaut who after crashing during a government experiment, received grievous injuries to most areas of his body. If not for the biomedical upgrades added to him to replace his broken and failing bodily systems, his injuries would prove fatal. In that moment in history, miraculous feats like the above were just fantasies produced by Hollywood to attract viewers. In today’s society, biomedical replacements are everyday occurrences. Hearts, lungs, arms, all are able to be replaced with mechanical versions, for improved functions, as well as, to replace lost organs and limbs. The uses of biomedical parts are astronomical. With biological enhanced humans, diseases like cancer could be eliminated, or car accident victims saved from a crushing death. However, can this go as far as an army of perfect soldiers being made to invade other countries?
First, bioengineering had its start in the 1550’s, but the earliest modern use was in 1750 when the Sumerians used fermentation for beer. The first recorded occurrence of medical use was by the Chinese using soy bean curd as an antibiotic for wounds. Genetic engineering started in 1863 when Gregor Mendel experimented with pea pod to discover how traits are passed on (Sells, Harvey). Synthetic engineering started in 1828 when Fredrich Wohler combined ammonium chloride with silver isocyanate to produce the main compound of urea (Rugnetta, Michael). The first form of bionics was first discovered in a tomb of an ancient mummy. The corpse had a wooden replacement attached for a missing big toe; this would suggest bionics started over 3000 years ago with Egyptians (Sells, Harvey).
Second, scienti...
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...However, because world peace has not been attained, a threat of biological war is a constant threat, which could lead to many deaths.
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...m these advancements that are from human body parts. Instead, it is imperative to honor and preserve those who have made these interventions possible
Guillemin, J. (2005). Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism Columbia University Press.
"History of Bioterrorism." Chronological. Office of The Surgeon General, Department of the Army, 1997. Web. 22 July 2012. http://www.bio-terry.com/HistoryBioTerr.html
Throughout the progression of mankind, there has always been a need to become superior in tactics and technology over an opponent. It did not take long for man to discover the effective and deadly tactic of Bioterrorism, which is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or other germs used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. As time passes, everything about bioterrorism becomes more and more sophisticated, making it very difficult to combat with. By examining the history of bioterrorism, one can learn how military forces utilize this deadly weapon.
Ryan, Jeffrey R., and Jan F. Glarum. Biosecurity & Bioterrorism: Containing and Preventing Biological Threats. Oxford: Elsevier Inc., 2008.
The issue presented in the topic is finding the right way to tackle the spread and threat of disease, one side handles the issue through looking at the human point of view while the other looks at the issue from the point of view of the organism. Paul Ewald tackles the issue from the side that is taking the organism’s point of view and developing ways to fight the organisms. In the talk ...
Science and technology are rapidly advancing everyday; in some ways for the better, and in some, for worse. One extremely controversial advance is genetic engineering. As this technology has high potential to do great things, I believe the power genetic engineering is growing out of control. Although society wants to see this concept used to fight disease and illness, enhance people 's lives, and make agriculture more sustainable, there needs to be a point where a line is drawn.
One of the world’s most dreaded plagues for centuries, smallpox is now eradicated. Vaccination programs were pushed worldwide by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the disease was eliminated from the world. This push resulted in the last naturally occurring case in the world being almost 40 years ago. Once eradicated the once routine or mandatory vaccinations were stopped for the general public and it was deemed no longer necessary to prevent the disease. Although currently eradicated worldwide, two medical laboratory stockpiles still remain in Russia and the United States. With these stockpiles in existence the possibility of bio terrorism emerges and fear of these stockpiles getting into the wrong hands and being weaponized for use against the public is rising. The smallpox disease is highly contagious and easily communicable and currently there is no cure for this disease. If reintroduced, an epidemic would be devastating worldwide.
The morning of September 11, 2001, Americans experienced vulnerability and realized a new fear, the threat of a bioterrorist attack. In the days that followed the terrorist attacks letters tainted with anthrax began appearing in the U.S. mail. Five Americans were killed and 17 were sickened in what became the worst biological attacks in U.S. history (“Amerithrax or Anthrax Investigation”). Bioterrorism is defined as a criminal act against unsuspecting civilians and a threat to national security with the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or germs. An attack of bioterrorism is meant to cause illness or death by microorganisms that are found in nature, but they can be made more harmful because of an increased ability to cause and spread disease which resists medical treatment. These biological agents can spread from person to person or can be released into the food supply, water, or air. They can be hard to detect because they may not cause illness for hours or several days, thus giving terrorists an advantage allowing them to go escape undetected until symptoms arise and an attack is suspected. Biological weapons are appealing because they are often easy to obtain and inexpensive, and can be easily distributed. The main objective of bioterrorism is to cause panic and terror, not necessarily casualties. The social disruption they cause can be far worse than any actual damage.
Chaos, fear, and death. Those three words are what most people’s first thoughts are when they see the destructive offspring of either Biological or Chemical Weapons. These Weapons of Mass Destruction (also known as WMD’s) are actually considered the deadliest weapons of all time to not only humans but also to other animals, and plants. Biological and Chemical Warfare has become a major threat not only to the safety to the people of America, but also on the frontlines across the world but, that in order to fix these that the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and Chemical Weapons Convention could do is to make mandatory background checks for anyone who buys any additives that are in any Bio/ Chemical weapons, mandatory safety exercises, and make bans heavier on the use of these weapons in war.
Thesis: Biological Warfare is morally and inhumanely wrong, It is the wrongful killing of men, women, and children. It should be stopped no matter what the circumstances are.
Great medical discoveries pertaining to genetic modification are being made regularly and scientists are discovering new ways in which genetic engineering could be used to update certain medical procedures in the future. Complicated procedures such as organ transplantation have been made more successful with the use of genetic modification. Lab-grown bladders, windpipes, blood vessels and skin are some examples of organic matter that have been successfully grown with human cells and transplanted into human patients. The demand that the human population has on donor organs far exceeds the number of organs available for transplant. Genetic modification is the solution to this problem, in that, the advances being made in therapeutic medicine will save millions of lives in the future. Now that it is possible to alter the genes of an organis...
One of lesser-known benefits of exploring outer space is the medical breakthroughs scientists discover. It is true that space in a gold mine for much of the modern day health discoveries, yet many people don’t seem to have knowledge of this. A few major medical devices are, a laser angioplasty, an ultrasound skin damage assessment, a human tissue stimulator, and a cool suit. These are only some of the prominent discoveries made a group of intellectuals aboard the Internation Space Station (ISS). This band of people uses the unique aspects of outer space such as zero gravity to perform and uncover new information about medicine (Ferrell).
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare is one of the most dreaded forms of attack on the battlefield. In the last century, we learned a great deal about how life works, how it is organized. We have used that technology to save many lives by curing diseases and vaccinating against viruses. But it seems that whenever we have a breakthrough in science, there is an ever-present danger of a form of weapon resulting from the discovery. Biological Warfare is defined as bacteria, viruses, fungi or rickettsia, which are used in wartime to cause disease or death in people (Hay, 1984).
The procedures that will be the future of modern medicine currently fall into the realms of taboo and fictional. These procedures encompass every aspect of medical science, from exploration of the human body, curing diseases, to improving a person’s quality of life. Many of these procedures are not very well known, while a few have been in the spotlight. These procedures include cloning, nano-robotics, retro-viruses, and genetic manipulation via gene-specific medications. For any serious breakthroughs in modern medical science, we must embrace these new forms of treatment instead of shying away from them. Second, I’ll attempt to explain how these methods and procedures could benefit mankind.