Boley 1

Taylor Boley

Mr.Ratica

Period 4

14 October 17, 2017

Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering is something that is a very touchy subject with some people.

It is being able to really just genetically making your baby’s looks instead of letting the genes do

its job by itself. Parents can change the color of their baby’s hair color and eye color that are still

in the parent’s womb. So the parents can latterly make their babies in other ways than just have a

sperm partner. All it takes is some smart technology and the process of making the baby how the

parents wish. Genetic engineering is also having to do with plants and to get rid of dieses within

the human body. Genetic engineering is a great thing that scientist have discovered is will save

lives and food production and also change the appearance of babies still in the womb.

The process of genetic engineering is also sometimes called genetic modification. That is

the process of altering the DNA in the organism’s genome (Genetic Engineering). The base pair

is what is going to need to be changed for this to process to work (Genetic Engineering).

Changing the base pair is deleting a whole region of DNA or introducing and additional copy of

a gene (Genetic Engineering). The reason that scientist use this technology is so it can enhance

and or modify the characteristics of the individual. That is why scientist can change the color of

baby’s hair and eyes still in the womb.

The way that genetic engineering works is that a small piece of circular DNA that is

called a plasmid is extracted from the bacteria cell (Genetic Engineering). Plasmid is a double

stranded DNA molecule that is distinct from a cells chromosome DNA (Plasmids). The
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modifications that it attaches on are genes. Genes are what makes the look and shape of the

child. The parents both let off some of the genes and they connect to the fetus and that’s why

they look like they do. When the scientist use that technology they put other genes that the

parents want and take out what the parents don’t want. Specific genes are replaced with other

genes. The same thing happens in plants also.

Many scientists and athletes abuse this technology by the small choice of just making

them a better athlete. Steroids is something that can grab onto the genes and change them and

that is why some people abuse this. Steroids enhances the muscles to make them bigger and

make the athlete stronger. Steroids are very illegal and will get a college or even a professional

athlete removed from the sport that they play at any time (Genetic Inequality). Also there is

something called gene therapy that involves a transfer of genetic material to a human cell and

that treats or prevent diseases (Genes and Identity).

Genetic Engineering can be for many things plants, animals, and even babies. This world

has come up with so much smart technology that can do things that people back then could never

think of (Desmond ,Nicholl). In 1974 these same techniques were used on mice to change their

genes and how they look (Jane ,Setlow). This technique works also if the human has disease and

wants to get rid of that disease. It takes the bad genes out and puts good and healthy genes into in

replace of the bad genes. Genetic engineering is making a great impact on the world and the

more that scientist find things out the more we can do and the more they can discover.
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Works Cited

Foundation, GRACE Communications. “Genetic Engineering.” GRACE Communications

Foundation, www.sustainabletable.org/264/genetic-engineering.

Nicholl, Desmond S. T. An Introduction to Genetic Engineering. Cambridge University Press,

2015.

Nature Education. “Scitable.”https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/plasmid-plasmids-28 20

October 2017.

Setlow, Jane K. Genetic Engineering: Principles and Methods. Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004.

“What Is Genetic Engineering?” Facts, The Public Engagement Team at the Wellcome Genome

Campus, 17 Feb. 2017, www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-genetic-engineering.