Theories on the Causes of Genetic Disorders in the Elderly

Human genetic engineering is the science of manipulating an individual’s genetic makeup, with the intention of altering observable traits. The genes are manipulated our to make our bodies better in IQ and muscle strength. The changes would be inheritable and passed down through the generations. I recall from the article, “From ... ... middle of paper ... ...ents and scientists are not looking at the ethics, they are looking at competent fetus that are able to survive in society. Many scientists do not feel what they are doing is wrong.

It is, indeed, true that depression is one factor that contributes towards a human being’s accelerated biological aging process. Recent research has undoubtedly proven that persons have suffering from a major depressive order (MDD) have a higher chance of experiencing accelerated aging, and some chronic diseases. A major depressive disorder has big an effect on aging especially on the lengths of cell structures which are named telomeres. Telomeres are shorter in people that have suffered depression and shorter telomeres associated with an increased risk of developing many chronic diseases. This research will provide some information to explain process of accelerated aging among depressed person and how to reverse and overcome of depression effects in people with depression.

The name is derived from the Greek word progeros meaning ‘prematurely old’. There are different variations of this disease; the most common type being Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS). The discovery was first made in 1886 by Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson, and then in 1897 Dr. Hastings Gilford was the first to refer to the disease as Progeria. This paper will discuss the cause of the disease, along with signs and symptoms that are commonly displayed. Progeria is caused by abnormal genes, resulting in rapid aging of individuals who suffer chronic and progressive symptoms, ultimately affecting the quality of life.

Wouldn’t it be great if modern science could pin point those mutated, problem genes and remove them? Genes can change our lives. These genes can be passed on from generation to generation. Healthcare costs are at an all-time high. Eliminating disease producing genes would not only relieve pain and suffering but make for a healthier, more productive world decreasing societal healthcare costs.

If your answer to this question is yes then you will be more likely to develop the disease. With that comes the next deciding factor of having Alzheimer's, genetics. Genetics are broken up into two main categories, Risk genes and Deterministic genes. Risk genes raise the chances of developing a disease but do not guarantee that it is going to happen. The risk gene that influences this is called apolipoprotein (APOE-e4), and can be inherited from either parent.

It is important to consider that around…… of the family members inherit an Alzheimer’s disease. Women are twice as likely to get Alzheimer disease in a family because their brains have a fundamentally different make-up than of the boy’s brain . New studies show that female hormones could be the reason women are more at risk. Alzheimer’s is a continuous disease, where dementia symptoms constantly worsen over a number of years as ... ... middle of paper ... ...style of living by diagnosing DNA testing for predictive testing and regulate a person’s chance of passing or developing a genetic disorder. The importance of genetic testing is featured when finding out if you have inherited an Alzheimer’s condition in order for you to take precautions, which will definitely alter changes in your life, such as consuming medications which will reduce the chance of passing the mutated gene to your offspring, causing you to possess a totally healthy baby through a pre ignition of the genetic diagnosed.

It holds the underlying works of genetic testing, accurate information, open access, and freedom of choice. Laissez-faire eugenics promises to enhance reproductive freedom preventing early child death due to genetic disease (3,Kitcher, 198). However there are dangers in Laissez-faire that Kitcher wants to avoid. The first is the historical tendency of population control, eugenics can go from avoiding suffering, to catering to a set of social values that will cause the practice of genetics to become prejudiced, insensitive and superficial. The second is that prenatal testing will become limited to the upper class, leaving the lower class with fewer options, creating biologically driven social barriers.

In conclusion, Lamarck’s theory involves adaptations to create new variations, followed by the inheritance of these characteristics, while Darwin’s theory involves random hereditary variation first, followed by the selection of the variation. Genetics has disproven Lamarck’s theory on the basis that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of a parent are not passed onto the offspring. On the other hand, Darwin’s theory failed in explaining why a beneficial change-the loss of functionality of the appendix, for instance- can be passed generation after generation. However, Lamarck and Darwin both believed that life is continuously changing and that organisms change to be better suited to their environment (Mills 2004:119-121).

their genotype, humans are able to prevent their offspring from inheriting mutative genes which carry disease, or alter the offspring’s Phenotype, which are “a set of observable characteristics of an individual or a group as determined by its genotype and environment” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1990, p.893) such as eye colour, hair colour or texture, athletic ability, intelligence and other cosmetic traits. This artificial selection of genes is known as Eugenics whereby the genetic quality of the human population is improved by selecting favourable or desired traits. By modifying the traits of offspring, a decrease in genetic variation could result in a decrease in the ability to evolve. Understanding Human Molecular Biology Humans constitute of what are known a... ... middle of paper ... ...anslation, which is a process during protein synthesis where anticodons (groups of nitrogenous bases) link up to their complementary codons enabling amino acids to link up in the correct sequence. Should the codons and anticodons not link accurately, a deletion or substitution of genes may occur and result in a mutation.

Modern technologies are constantly advancing in a multitude of ways to the degree that scientists have gained enough knowledgeable about the human genome to be able to find specific genes during the embryonic stage of reproduction. Scientists have already begun to use this knowledge to allow parents the ability to select the sex of their child and screen for genetic diseases via preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) with in vitro fertilization (IVF). Sex-selection has already created world-wide discussion regarding the ethics of such a situation. However, scientists are now looking toward germline engineering which will essentially allow parents to select and alter genetic traits of their children before implantation of the embryo into the female body. John Alan Cohan’s article, “Ethics of Genetic Enhancement” and Marcy Darnovsky’s “The Case Against Designer Babies: The Politics of Genetic Enhancement” disagree in their investigations of the ethicality of germline engineering to potentially “design” our future children to be more capable in every aspect.