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Achieved Termpaper CLONING Genetic engineering, altering the inherited characteristics of an organism in a predetermined way, by introducing into it a piece of the genetic material of another organism. Genetic engineering offers the hope of cures for many inherited diseases, once the problem of low efficiencies of effective transfer of genetic material is overcome. Another development has been the refinement of the technique called cloning, which produces large numbers of genetically identical individuals by transplanting whole cell nuclei. With other techniques scientists can isolate sections of DNA representing single genes, determine their nucleotide sequences, and reproduce them in the laboratory. This offers the possibility of creating entirely new genes with commercially or medically desirable properties. While the potential benefits of genetic engineering are considerable, so may be the potential dangers. For example, the introduction of cancer-causing genes into a common infectious organism, such as the influenza virus, could be hazardous. We have come to believe that all human beings are equal; but even more firmly, we are taught to believe each one of us is unique. Is that idea undercut by cloning? That is, if you can deliberately make any number of copies of an individual, is each one special? How special can clones feel, knowing they were replicated like smile buttons. "We aren't just our genes, we're a whole collection of our experiences," says Albert Jonsen. But the idea, he adds, raises a host of issues, "from the fantastic to the profound." When anesthesia was discovered in the 19th century, there was a speculation that it would rob humans of the transforming experience of suffering. When three decades ago, James Watson and Francis Crick unraveled the genetic code, popular discussion turned not to the new hope for vanquishing disease but to the specter of genetically engineered races of Since the beginning of the human race, we have been looking. We have been looking for ways to make our lives healthier, more comfortable, and happier. In the beginning it was simple rocks, plants, and fires. As our technology advanced so did the comfort of our lives. The wheel, the cure to the plaque, and who can forget the remote control, were all tools that made it possible to improve the quality of life. What tool lies ahead in the future to promote our well being and happiness? Genetic engineering is that tool. Every living thing is made up of genes, and with the capability of altering these genes, the possibilities are endless. Everything from better quality produce to the prevention of cancer is a possibility with genetic engineering, and scientists are just now beginning to understand the complex gene patterns. If you can imagine a world free of diabetes, or male pattern baldness, and genetics has a major role. Genetic engineers might someday have the capabilities to remove these genes or even clone wanted genes, and in the end allowing us to live the healthy, comfortable, happier lives we seek. The numbers of positive outcomes from genetic engineering are inconceivable. Genetic engineering will lead to healthier, more comfortable, and better lives. Genetic engineering will improve every day produce and goods. For producers involved with living organisms as their products, genes play a major role in the quality of their products and amount of profit. If a farmer's cows are not as lean, or their corn is diseased, then the demand for their product is going to be less than the competition. That is where genetics comes in. It is possible, by altering certain genes, to create a leaner cow, or a disease resistant stalk of corn, and it is this fact that makes genetic engineering invaluable to the every day farmer. If their cattle is leaner, or their chickens are engineered to lay two eggs instead of one, then there is going to be a greater profit earned by the farmers, and a better quality of product. In the near future there may be bacon that is relatively fat free, or a chicken breast with twice the meat. By selecting the wanted genes and removing the unwanted, the producer can improve it product that it sells to the consumer, and the spectrum is not just restricted to food. Softer cloths, sturdier wood, hardier trees and shrubs, and slower growing, greener grass are all possibilities. These improved products will impact everyone, and will be everywhere. The impact is hazy, but the effect is clear; they will improve not only the profit of the producer, but also the lives of the consumer. Genetic altering will be a powerful tool against disease, and disabilities. Every year millions of people die from a variety of diseases and disabilities that are passed down by genes. Cancer is one example of a disease that has been linked to genes and heredity. Many patients have a family history involving some type of cancer in the past. With the introduction of genetic engineering, there is a good chance that scientists will be able to locate genes that are prone to cancer and alter them so that the chance of getting cancer is greatly reduced. Cancer is not the only disease that this could be applied to either. Almost any disease, disorder, or disability has a future in genetic engineering. Another example is Down's syndrome, a syndrome that is passed down through generations by a mutated gene, and causes mental impairment. Imagine if someday that mutated gene could be removed from a family's future, allowing thei First cloned baby "born on 26 December" The world's first cloned baby was born on 26 December, claims the Bahamas-based cloning company Clonaid. But there has been no independent confirmation of the claim. The girl, named Eve by the cloning team, was said to have been born by Caesarean section at 1155 EST. The birth at an undisclosed location went "very well", said Brigitte Boisselier, president of Clonaid. The company was formed in 1997 by the Raelian cult, which believes people are clones of aliens. "The baby is very healthy. She is doing fine," Roisselier told a press conference in Hollywood, Florida, on Friday. The seven-pound baby is a clone of a 31-year-old American woman, whose partner is infertile, she said. Proving that the baby is a clone of another person would be possible by showing that their DNA is identical. Genetic tests on the baby and "mother" will now be carried out and the results will be available "in eight or nine days", Boisselier said. She told reporters: "You can still go back to your office and treat me as a fraud. You have one week to do that." Boisselier added that Michael Guillen, science editor at ABC News and a former Harvard University mathematician, will carry out the genetic tests. Necessary expertise Many scientists are sceptical of Boisselier's claim. Alan Trounson of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, says he does not believe the group has the necessary expertise to clone a person. "And nearly everything they have said in the past has never been confirmed by scientific investigation," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Maverick fertility scientist Severino Antinori, who claimed earlier in December that the first cloned baby would be born in January 2003, is also critical. "An announcement of this type has no scientific corroboration and risks creating confusion," he said. "We keep up our scientific work without making announcements. I don't take part in this ... race." Opponents of human cloning point to the high rate of miscarriages of cloned animal fetuses, and the high rate of defects in live births. Boisselier has claimed that the large number of female cult members willing to act as surrogate mothers increased their chances of success. "Irresponsible and repugnant" Attempting to clone humans is "irresponsible and repugnant and ignores the overwhelming scientific evidence from seven mammalian species cloned so far," Rudolph Jaenisch, a cloning expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told New Scientist previously. In May, US-based fertility scientist Panos Zavos told the US Congress that five groups of scientists were rushing to be the first to produce the first cloned human baby. Reproductive cloning - creating a baby rather than a cloned early embryo - is illegal in many countries.
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