Genetic Engineering: Impact on Daily Life and Agriculture

From agriculture to what genes a baby will get, genetic engineering plays a bigger part in everyday life than expected. Genetic engineering is thought to be the action of weeding out the bad genes to improve the gene pool. This is not entirely true. Eugenics and genetic engineering are two different things, though they may seem similar. Historically, eugenics was the process of preventing those thought to have “bad genes” from reproducing in order to avoid having more “feeble minded” people come into the world (“Eugenics and”). On the other hand, genetic engineering allows a child to be brought into the world with specific genes to prevent diseases that could be fatal to that baby. It also allows humans to have more access to some vegetables

“In agriculture, designer genes are used in a variety of ways, from creating drought- and insect-resistant seed strains to the modification of traits and behaviors in animals that lead them to be more readily domesticated” (“Designer Genes”). It is used in many plants and animals that are eaten by humans daily. Genetic engineering in plants allows for plants to be more beneficial to humans. In plants genetic engineering makes them last longer on shelves, last through droughts or freezing weather, and make some plants not affected by herbicides (“Genetic Engineering”). The plants commonly used for genetic engineering are the typical farm plants: tomatoes, wheat, soybeans, grapes, and corn. Genetic engineering in agriculture is a good thing because it makes those plants more available for humans to eat. In animals, genetic engineering can be used to make domestication of certain animals easier. Most animals that are genetically engineered for agricultural purposes are fish and typical farm animals such as, pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens (“Designer Genes”). Genetically engineering plants and animals ensures that humans will have food to eat, which can only be a positive thing. If it weren’t for the genetically modified plants and animals, providing food for humans would be made more

In getting rid of genetic diseases in a set of genes, this application of genetic engineering is done while the DNA is in an embryo. To use genetic engineering, a couple would have to use in vitro fertilization (IVF). During IVF, the couple has a group of embryos that will be tested to see what diseases they carry with them. The couple then chooses which embryo they want to have after considering all the possibilities with each embryo (“Eugenics”). This process allows for a baby to have certain physical traits and diseases eliminated from its DNA. ADD TRANSITION In 2000, Adam Nash was born without a disease that ran in his family’s genes. His sister had the disease, so they used genetic engineering to have Adam, whose tissue matched his sister, but also did not have the disease so that Adam’s stem cells could be used to treat his sister. This was the first recording of designer genes, which is part of genetic engineering (“Designer Genes”). Genetic engineering in humans has proven to be beneficial in eliminating the chance a person could have a genetic disease. Even though scientists are not picking out specific genes a human can have, they are making sure a specific gene is absent to ensure a person has a better life. In gene therapy, the genes in a