What is genetic engineering?
‘Genetic engineering’ is the direct manipulation of an organism's DNA using biotechnology to change its characteristics by adding, removing, or altering genes. This process involves either modifying existing genes or transferring genes between species (including between humans and other creatures).
Note that this is direct manipulation using technology It is different to selective breeding, which is a natural technique humans have used for millennia to develop what we consider to be favourable traits in animals and food; for instance, we have selectively bred wolves to become domesticated cute pet dogs.
A good example of genetic engineering is in our production of insulin to help diabetics. We replace a part of the DNA code in the bacterial plasmid with a piece of DNA code from a human. The resulting Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is a bacteria/human hybrid.
Producing insulin for diabetics seems a pretty good idea. What, however, do you think about genetically modifying food, such as rice into Golden Rice, to add nutrients? What about genetically modifying people to solve genetic diseases, for example babies born with severe CPS1 deficiency? What about genetically modifying people to make them more intelligent (for example, designer babies)?
