The use of genetically modified plants is gradually spreading despite the technology behind it has been showing some cracks. With the sole purpose of profiting now with uncaring disregard for possible consequences in the future, GM companies are widely advertising that its GM crop technology is safe and provide an essential good not only to farmers but also to ordinary consumers in general. But then the bad things are usually being hidden from sight, just like how GM plants tend to encourage the…

Use of genetically modified organisms have become quite common in many countries, notably on the US and parts of South America. It has largely been because of the efforts of large multi-national corporations eyeing big profits in genetic modification. It may be considered as a technology that has largely not yet been fully understood by researchers and scientists. It is an industry that may pose a danger to the world at large.GMO companies have been quite aggressive in trying to promote and mark…

Researchers from Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have genetically modified viruses that defeat bacterial defense systems, which could enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics. This new approach could also kill bacteria that have already developed antibiotic resistance. The results of the study were published in the March 2, 2009 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),…

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 40 million Americans report they have been told by their doctors they have rheumatic condition such as arthritis. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the country, limiting the activities of about 19 million people.A recent study provides new insight about one of the causes of inflammatory arthritis: bacteria. Researchers from the Netherlands and the United States show that NOD2, a specific gene, triggers…

Much has been said against genetic modification of humans, but four arguments have been used over and over again in attacking this technology: the uniqueness argument, the freedom argument, the authenticity argument, and the giftedness argument. These assumptions are obvious versions of false genetic determinism, and are therefore unsound. Argument # 1: UniquenessThe uniqueness argument posits that genetic modification of humans violates the uniqueness of the genetically modified person. However…

Aldous Huxley imagined in Brave New World a society where the state manufactures different human classes, each designed to perform specific roles. In Anarchy, State and Utopia, Robert Nozick presents the genetic supermarket wherein becoming a parent is as simple as purchasing a new car: If you want a female, artistically gifted child with the blackest hair, the bluest eyes, and a superior IQ, then you only have to buy the necessary goods and services to create the exact child. Many authors have …

President Barack Obama is overturning yet another policy of the Bush regime. This time, Obama will allow federal taxpayer dollars to finance embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. This is in fulfillment of his campaign promise to push more research to discover better treatments for illnesses ranging from paralysis to diabetes.Like the late actor Christopher Reeve and former first lady Nancy Reagan, Obama supports the call to end restrictions on stem cell research budget. The executive order reverse…

While people are in constant pursuit of ways to improve and advance the quality of human life, some activities in the field of genetics face scrutiny from many advocacy groups because they are seen as violating fundamental environmental and ethical principles. Human cloning is one area of genetic engineering that has ignited intense debates. Below are some environmental and ethical arguments against human cloning. Human cloning violates the precautionary principleA foundation of environmentalism…

Technological and scientific advancements in the genetic engineering field have proceeded rapidly in the past few years. On the one hand, proponents of genetic modification argue that this technology makes our lives much better. On the other hand, opponents of genetic engineering cite numerous environmental and ethical issues. One area of genetic engineering that has sparked heated debates is germline engineering, also known as inheritable genetic modification (IGM).What is inheritable genetic m…

Neonatal diabetes is characterized by insulin-sensitive hyperglycemia usually diagnosed within the first six months of life. The prevalence of this condition is around 1 in 400,000 births. About 50% of all cases of neonatal diabetes are an effect of mutations in either the sulfonylurea receptor -1 gene (SUR1) or the KIR6.2 gene (polymorphisms of KCNJ11). Researchers at Oxford University in the United Kingdom headed by Frances Ashcroft have now designed a mouse model of the disease that they stro…