Genetic modification is a branch of genetics that involves modifying or replacing certain genes in an organism’s DNA. Genetic modification may be used to manufacture brewing yeasts, cancer medicines, genetically modified crops and livestock, and a variety of other things in the agricultural, industrial, chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical sectors. The sole need is that the transformed product is – or was once – a live organism with DNA.
Examples of Genetic Modification
Crop Production
Examples of genetic manipulation in crop production are sometimes invoked to justify why people should not buy or consume them; nevertheless, a growing population without the time, space, or often the skills to grow food at home means that people must make better use of our agricultural land. Simultaneously, it is critical not to destroy natural ecosystems all across the planet. In the form of improved agricultural output on a smaller plot, genetically modified (GM) crops do provide an answer. When genetically engineering a crop, the goal is to boost disease resistance, fibre and nutritional content, or yield — ideally a combination of all three.
Livestock
In livestock rearing examples, one Food and Drug Administration limitation that was recently abolished should always be mentioned. The import, sale, and rearing of GM salmon eggs were formerly prohibited in the United States, despite the fact that the prohibition was imposed owing to labelling regulations, not because of concerns that eating these fish may be harmful to our health. The restriction has now been removed.
While genetically engineered beef is uncommon, it is conceivable that the cow was fed GM feed in the past. It may have also been administered with genetically modified recombinant bovine growth hormone while living (rBGH). Dairy cows are also treated with this hormone. Milk from rBGH-treated cows has been shown to have greater amounts of IGF-1, a hormone that has been linked to an increased risk of breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancer in humans. This is only one of the reasons why genetically modified foods are so divisive. However, studies have shown that using GM feeds improves animal health and reduces the need for farmers to inject antibiotics and hormones into their livestock, which may be a double-edged sword because these chemicals can enter the bloodstreams of humans who consume the cattle or drink their milk.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic modification
Advantages
Advocates of genetic modification begin by emphasising how much we have learned about our genes and the genes of other creatures as a result of this issue. We are discovering how the full range of DNA-containing species – from bacteria to humans – functions owing to gene engineering.
Genetic manipulation has provided us with new and surprising information about how some disorders develop. Targeted therapeutics that can cure or at least reduce certain disorders have also been developed in this sector. This technology can improve not just the action of drugs, but also their cheaper production.
The creation of genetically altered crops has resulted from a combination of an increasing global population and the need to maintain an extremely unstable ratio of agricultural land to natural habitats. These crops are engineered to provide a higher yield while using fewer fertilisers and requiring less area or chemicals to grow (herbicides and pesticides). Taste, nutritional value, colour, and form may all be improved by scientists.
Food alteration –
Bacteria that have been genetically engineered assist in the production of biofuels from genetically modified crops. Biofuels help to mitigate the negative consequences of fossil fuel emissions. Cyanobacteria help in the production of biodegradable polymers, and other GM microorganisms aid in the decomposition of garbage.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages arise mostly from the absence of long-term research into the impacts of genetic modification on both the organism and the species that consume it. We just don’t have enough data, as with any innovative yet potentially damaging technology.
Another problem is that, despite the fact that the human genome has been decoded, we still don’t know everything there is to know about every function in the human body. The gut microbiome, for example, is a relatively new issue. Scientists now recognise that bacteria in the stomach have direct effects on the brain, which was uncommon ten years ago. However, it is still unknown how neurotransmitters in the brain interact with substances in the digestive tract.
Of course, there are additional obstacles to overcome. Before we can determine whether genetic modification can permanently eliminate a fatal disorder, we must first determine whether it is ethical to alter the DNA of embryos, allow them to develop and be born, and then study their lives from birth to old age (and possibly their children and grandchildren) in order to ensure that the new cure is safe.
CONCLUSION
Our personal opinions have an impact on how this technology develops and progresses in the field of human genetic modification. Genetic modification of embryos not carried to term is more likely to be approved in nations where the law states that human life begins at week 24. This ethical concern is part of the foetal personhood debate, which is one of the key reasons why human genetic manipulation is so controversial. The public’s concerns in an agricultural environment are about the long-term implications of ingesting GM foods. Farmers are afraid about not being able to sell their genetically modified crops, since growing them is illegal in many countries. Personal difficulties are frequently based on views; the actual benefits and drawbacks are based on the findings of long-term scientific study. Unfortunately, because genome editing is such a new technique, we don’t have any data that goes back more than a few years, much alone one or more generations.