The Role of Genetics in Modern Society
Genes by definition are information we inherit from our parents, they
contain chromosomal information which codes for every physical and
mental attribute a human, animal or plant has. Modern society has come
to realise by finding the gene that causes the illness they can remove
it. They then can insert the correct gene to replace it. Genes are
arranged like beads on a piece of string, they occur in a fixed order.
Modern day society has also realised that by learning about genes and
increasing their understanding many useful tasks can be carried out.
For example, solving crimes; if a suspect has been identified, a
sample of that’s persons DNA can be checked against DNA (a long
thread- like molecule found in every living cell) which may have been
found at the crime scene. This process is done use of a genetic code.
Although every human may have the same basic components in a double
helix of DNA, base, sugar, and phosphate: The type of sugar may vary,
further more the order of complimentary base pairs may occur in a
different order. Thus, meaning an almost infinite number of
combinations. As our genes allow every person to have their own DNA
code, a definite match of DNA would mean that person could without
doubt be linked to the scene. All that is needed to extract DNA is one
cell - a speck of blood, a swab of saliva or a miniscule fragment of
skin that clings to a strand of hair!
Jack Straw is said to putting plans forward to enforce any criminal to
keep their genetic material on a national database with purpose of
cross matching with unsolved crimes.
As law stands at the moment writte...
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...God, yet he entrusted it to us. Meaning
God gives his permission for this to take place. Catholics may feel
that all life is sacred and thus should not be manipulated in any way.
The role of genetics within modern day society is huge, hitting the
media’s attention often several times a week. This could be due to its
complex desire to overcome barriers of human survival. The subject of
genetics plays an already great role in modern day society. With much
debate and research to continue, its future however is unpredictable.
References
1 Genes volume 7, Benjaman Lewis Oxford University Press, Page 71
01/01/2000
2 www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1126047.stm 01/12/04
3 www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ethics/issues/designer_babies/index.shtml
02/12/04
4 www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,1362276,00.html 02/12/04
Bullying is a serious issue that can occur to various people of different age and background. It is considered a serious problem because of the long lasting health problems that comes with it. The many effects of bullying such as, depression and alcoholism can cause changes in our genes which can possibly be passed on to the future generations. In Sharon Moalem’s essay “Changing Our Genes: How Trauma, Bullying, and Royal Jelly Alter Our Genetic Destiny” he discussed about the effects of bullying on the victims and how it causes gene changes. It is important to know how to prevent bullying as the effects can influence a person mentally and genetically which can be passed on to future generations later on.
In The Case Against Perfection, Sandel warns us of the dangers that genetic engineering, steroids, and hormones poses to society and the natural order. According to Sandel, this type of control, especially in non-medical settings, violates a respect for life that should be ingrained in all of us. Life is something difficult to predict, something that shouldn’t bend to our every single will and desire. Genetic engineering, and the like, presents an egregious violation of this respect. According to Sandel, this violation serves only to reverse the human march of progress. Sandel weaves a well-balanced argument in his book. The issue of eugenic technology is most definitely not black or white. According to him, the aspects of modification can be applied selectively, so long as it doesn’t violate the respect for life society should hold closely.
In class we watch a clip called “Journey of Man” and basically the all over view of this movie was about a man named Spencer Wells and his team of scientist researching for approximately 15 years of investigating to find out our family history. They believe that they have discover some life changing information. They had this discovery for a while now but that needed time to gather up all of the facts from their research. This information that they have could transform our view on the world. They have revealed some type of time machine that has allow them to see back in ancient history. For that past ten years this man and his team have been using this time machine to gather all types of different information about the past history. This information came for just once source, blood. Many people views it as and gift from the past, but to scientist it carries the past and has a unique story behind it. A time machine hidden within us.
Since the beginning of organized government there has always been a clash between science and politics. Whether it is as complicated as a new drug's detainment of federal approval or whether it is as commonplace as the social acceptance of a new medical procedure, politics has performed an integral part in the formation of science; this integrated unit is what greatly affects most of the society at large. Thus, it is no surprise the scientific discussion of genetic engineering is peppered with political rhetoric.
Genetic testing has been a very controversial topic. While some people believe that genetic testing is completely right in any situation, others believe that it is completely wrong in any situation. However, both sides prove valid points of why genetic testing is both right and wrong. Genetic testing can be very good when it is being used for helpful reasons. However, genetic testing can also be very bad when it is used for the wrong reasons. Genetic testing is okay to do as long as it is being done for the right reasons and following good moral guidelines.
The eugenics movement originally started in the late 1870s because of the idea that inferior classes, criminals, poverty, feeble-minds, and disease were hereditary and reproducing would create an unfit population in the United States. Forced sterilizations and the introduction of birth control began with the demand to wipe out populations that were constructed as inferior. The early history of the birth control pill was a form of eugenics, and was not only oppressive towards women of color but to women across the United Sates.
Within the past thirty years, researchers have found strong evidence linking genes and disease. The development of predictive genetic tests followed shortly after the isolation of certain candidate genes. Although predictive genetic screening is only available for a handful of diseases, its effects and ramifications have become hotly debated issues in a wide range of areas, from government to religion. The debate began in the 1993 when researchers isolated the BRCA1 gene, which is associated with increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The discovery of this gene led to excitement and speculation of developing a predictive genetic test to identify those women at risk for these cancers. In this paper, I will first describe the biology of genetic testing, and then discuss the pros and cons of predictive genetic testing.
Inheritance, by Sharon Moalem, is a nonfiction novel that elaborates on what makes us who we are and why. Moalem states that even before we are born, our genes set up determines our lives. Our genes are adaptable sequences that can be altered by instances of trauma, simple dietary change, or just a small indiscretion. Through our experiences, our genes are changing and consequently limiting us. We have an unwavering predictable matter of the genes we have inherited from previous generations. Our future children could inherit many of our specific genes, good or bad. Even if our inherited
Genetic testing has become a highly controversial issue among both the general population and the scientific community. It is a process that exposes a person’s entire genome sequence, allowing it to be read and evaluated to identify potential risks for genetic diseases or diseases that could be passed onto offspring (Holt Productions, 2012). With thousands of genetic tests already being used, and more being established, it seems logical to put this growing technology to use. Some agree that it is a person’s right to know and understand his or her genetic makeup. However, others argue that, despite the benefits of genetic testing, caution should be used to carefully inspect the risks associated with this new technology.
The evolution of technology has been hand in hand with the human subjugation of earth, but the question persists, when does the use of technology go too far? Advances in medical science have increased the average human lifespan and improved the quality of life for individuals. Medical science and biology are steadily arriving at new ways to alter humans by the use of advanced genetic alteration. This technology gives rise to the question of how this new technology ought to be used, if at all. The idea of human enhancement is a very general topic, since humans are constantly “enhancing” themselves through the use of tools. In referring to human enhancement, I am referring specifically to the use of genetic intervention prior to birth. Julian Savulescu, in his, “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings,” argues that it is not only permissible to intervene genetically, but is a morally obligatory. In this paper, I will argue that it is not morally obligatory to intervene genetically even if such intervention may be permissible under certain criteria. I will show, in contrast to Savulescu’s view, that the moral obligation to intervene is not the same as the moral obligation to prevent and treat disease. In short, I will show that the ability of humans to intervene genetically is not sufficient to establish a moral obligation.
Blood stains are one type of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. Blood that is still in the liquid form should be picked up on a gauze pad. Once the blood is dried thoroughly it should be refrigerated and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 1). If the blood stain is found dried on clothing, the officer should wrap the piece of clothing in clean paper and place it in a sealed and labeled container. An object with dried blood stains needs to be sent to the Laboratory if it is small enough. If the object is too large to send, then using a clean knife the stain needs to be scraped onto a clean piece of paper, which then can be folded and placed in an envelope (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 2). When collecting autopsy blood samples, the officer should request that the pathologist obtain the sample directly from the heart and place it in a yellow or purple stoppered vacutainer. If the victim is still alive but in serious need of a blood transfusion, then the pre-transfusion blood sample needs to be obtained promptly before the hospital discards it (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 4). It is important for the Laboratory to receive all blood samples within 48 ho...
For as long as mankind has walked the Earth, there have always been things standing in its way; things scientists have taken centuries to try and understand. Finding the key to why someone has a pre-disposition to cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart problems, or even skin conditions like psoriasis, lays within their genetic make-up. Many remain reserved on the subject and insist that the risk of genetic testing isn’t worth the reward, though there is much evidence to the contrary. The debate on the benefits of genetic research and what they can do to help mankind has been argued with the help of extensive scientific testing, anonymous surveys, and rulings from our own Federal Government.
Pragmatism is the name of the game when it comes to taking away freedom. The public tends to be against any attempt to curtail civil liberties across the board. It is standard practice, however, to for the government to violate the rights of certain groups in the name of public safety or to fight crime. This is what is happening with the government collection of DNA samples.
Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk who revolutionized our understanding and perception of genetics. Mendel’s experiments in his monastery garden provided future geneticists with the basic principles of hereditary through the experimentation in both hybrid and pure bred pea plants, which he found to follow specific patterns in their offspring. The choice to use peas was because of their distinct varieties and their ability to produce offspring quickly and the ability to easily regulate fertilization simply with the use of a paintbrush. When conducting these experiments Before Mendel Pea Plant Experimentation it was commonly accepted that a child’s genetic traits were simply half from the mother and half from the father. This evidence was supported by experiments were generally conducted over a short period of time resulting in skewed and unreliable data, whereas Mendel’s experiments were conducted over an eight year period involving tens of thousands of plants. Two of Mendel’s traits that he focused on were the texture of the seed pod. E.g. smooth and round or wrinkled. In the first generation of these plants 100% of the pea plants possessed the Smooth and round texture. On the second generation of the pea plants of every 4 pea plants 3 posessed the smooth trait and a singular pea plant produced wrinkled seeds. Upon the review of his results Mendel concluded that characteristics could be expressed through dominant and recessive traits. The Dominant trait masks or completely covers the recessive, whereas a recessive gene is an allele that is only present in a homozygous genotype. Through Mendel’s experiments he proposed three principles of inheritance, whether you are looking at humans or pea plants, the apparent genetic traits t...
Genetic modification is a process of altering the genetic material of an organism by the use of a method that does not occur in nature. Genetic modification involves isolating, removing and manipulating DNA, and then reinserting the DNA into the same organism or into the genetic material of another organism. Which then leads to the creation of a genetically modified organism (GMO). GMOs can be plants, animals or (most commonly) micro-organisms. The use of GMOs in agriculture is rapidly increasing, since it produces a greater yield in crops than the traditional way of farming. Even though the production of GMOs are increasing, that does not necessarily mean it is completely safe for us to consume, companies that produces genetically modified