Genetic Modification Essay, Research Paper

Genetic Modification

The idea of genetic modification is one of the biggest and most controversial issues in modern times. It is the manipulation of genes, transferring genetic material from one organism to another. The question we ask ourselves is it really necessary and is it cruel to the animal involved.

Yes, the method behind genetic modification is that it may take up to 40 sheep just to produce on transgenic sheep. Surely this is pathetic and shows how unpredictable microinjection is. However with scientists racing to develop new ‘perfect’ animals it is the animals that suffer at their expense. I think it is also fair to say that farming is already a cruel process as many chickens kept in chicken farms end up crippled to the excess body weight. So why do we need genetic modification?

Scientists also argue that there are some benefits from genetic modifying food, like it means higher, better quality yields can be produced due to plants been given the best starting point. With this ides scientists say that these crops will also be prone to diseases. This would result in an end of famines and shops things like the potato famine reoccurring. They also argue that it will help to feed the world but is this really true?

Yes it does mean that more food will be available to the countries, but is there not enough food in the world to feed the entire population and yet thousands die each day through starvation. This is yet another example of how man is obsessed with the speed of how knowledge. The genetic modified food would mean that we could produce food more efficiently, so therefore more productive and this in turn would bring the cost of food down, but it wouldn’t end the problem of world hunger.

One downside for genetic bred animals it that they are all prone to the same faults, so of a new decease presents itself in a few years, then all these animals will be wiped out in a flash. This would have severe implications on the human race of the future. So has man really the right to play ‘God’.

With these new ‘perfect’ animals it would mean that animals would be more productive, more prone to disease and have the possibility of producing modern medicines or even human organs. This would be a great benefit to mankind and would relieve the shortage of organs. However this could have implications for these animals as research has already been carried out on pigs, and has produced nor results. The animals are no longer called ‘animals’, built bioreactors or just food machines. So what about the normal wildlife, would they suffer as a consequence. The wildlife on farms is already decreasing and the introducing of GM crops could go mad make matters worse. The small birds around these farms would be endangered and animals like the field mouse would be a rare sight. Surly the strength of nature is in it’[s diversity and question abut whether it is rally for the benefit of mankind or is commercial research driving this force.

I think their are some benefits for mankind, but I think the whole research should be slowed down and ways of perfecting what we have researched. Like Dolly the sheep, it was bleaned as a world specicial and yet there was no mention of the amount of unsuccessful experiments there were before her. However if people didn’t experiment there wouldn’t be any modern medicines, such as penicillin. I think there should be a limit put on the amount of animals used and the amount of experiments carried out but each country. Overall I think the benefits of introducing GM food? Animals would have great implications for the human race.