What are 'Genetic code' and 'Gene'?
Have you ever wondered why the offspring of an elephant comes out to be an elephant and not some half-cheetah half-cockroach breed? Why do the progeny of humans look like humans and not like a Koala? Well, this is due to the 'genetic code'.
The details of each cell of our body are present as 'codes' in the nucleus of the cell. These codes are known as 'genetic codes' and the structure is called a 'gene'. The genes inside the cell together form the 'genetic material of the cell, which can be either 'DNA' or 'RNA', depending on the cell. This 'genetic code' is 'transcripted' and 'translated' to form proteins, which are also known as the building blocks of our body.
Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering is a branch of Science in which the 'genes' of living organisms are manipulated using Biotechnology. It is a relatively new branch of science that has a lot of potential inside it. It is done either for research purposes or the benefit of mankind.
A very excellent example of Genetic Engineering is the formation of genetically modified insulin. Earlier, insulin was extracted from the pancreas of slaughtered pigs and cattle. But as it consisted of foreign proteins (proteins not native to the human body), it gave many people allergic reactions.
To fix that, an American company 'Eli Lilly' used genetic engineering to produce insulin by producing the two different chains (A and B) of insulin in E. coli bacteria and joining the chains through disulfide bonds afterward, thus creating mature insulin genetically. This has helped a lot of diabetic patients today as it has made the process of production of insulin much simpler and efficient.
Pros of Genetic Engineering -
We can end many diseases with the help of Genetic Engineering like Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Down Syndrome, etc. These diseases are either incurable currently, or very hard to cure. But with genetic engineering, we can make sure that these get completely cured!
Genetic diseases can be detected before birth and cured completely before the baby is even born. Genetic diseases like Down Syndrome, Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's, etc. are inheritable from parents to progeny. By using Genetic Engineering, these diseases can be completely cured and give the baby a chance at a full life ahead!
Plants can be genetically modified for different purposes like disease resistance, nutrition enrichment, or to increase yield. This was exactly what was done in the 'Green Revolution'.
The genes of humans can be tweaked to make them more intelligent, more efficient, or more resistant to environmental problems like Global Warming!
Cons of Genetic Engineering -
On one hand, where Genetic Engineering might cure diseases, it might also cause side effects on the other. These side effects might be very minute or they might be drastic. This is a very big risk and can't be ignored.
Genetically modifying humans for our own benefit might go too far and we might create something which we would come to regret later.
Genetically modified plants might become resistant to insects, pests, bacterias, or viruses. But if these pathogens adapt to counter the effect of Genetic Manipulation, it might affect the non-genetically modified plants much more adversely!
Lastly, there is also the ethical question. We have already damaged the environment far enough. Do we even have the moral right to do something like this with the core aspects of life? We must ask ourselves this question at least once. Do we have the right to play in such a way with other lives?
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