Travis Van Easteren
Ms. Tolle
English III
26 February 2014
Genetic Engineering
Imagine a world where autism and downs syndrome are a thing of the past, and where there is no shortage on food for anybody. Over the years mankind has developed and improved technology to save more and more lives through the manipulation of the DNA that makes up all living organisms. However, there are those who oppose this approach. Despite the risks and ethical concerns, genetic engineering holds the potential to benefit humanity through both direct and indirect means.

In the past genetic engineering has been used on crops and humans alike with great success. A few years ago there was a study that “concluded that the biotech varieties increased the state’s food and fiber production by more than 10 million pounds, improved farm income by nearly $33 million, and reduced pesticide used by 776,000 pounds annually” (Hammerstrom 124). It is also worth noting that “most soybeans planted have been genetically engineered to resist the herbicide glyphosate” (Roleff 11). These modifications allow the soybeans to grow without danger of suffering destruction along with weeds. The benefits that arose from previous use of genetic engineering expand beyond plant life as well. Human lives have directly benefited through direct manipulation of the human genome as well. An example of said benefits includes a case where “gene therapy has been used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease” (Roleff 43), as a result people’s lives are dramatically improved as they no longer suffer from impaired motor skills and speech. Genetic engineering also contains the potential of allowing mankind the chance to have “a mind that could learn more quickly, or having a more robust immune system” (Bostrom 26). These are merely a few examples ...

-128 -167 -196 -33 -40 -85 000 10 11 118 122 124 14 15 160 162 164 187 190 192 195 196 2006 2008 2009 2014 22 25 26 27 32 33 34 35 37 43 5 776 78 82 84 abdulaziz absolut accept accid accomplish achiev act adult ago agricultur aid alik allevi allow along alreadi also although ami anim annual anoth anybodi applic approach aros assur autism banana barbour base basic be beauti becom benefici benefit berlatski besid beyond biotech bostrom breed bright brighter capabl case caus certainti chanc chang child children choic choos cite clear clone close common comparison compromis concern conclud consid consum contain corrupt cothran could countri creat crop cure current damag danger david deal debat decid decis deem deep deep-seat degre despit destruct deterior develop diego direct disappear disbelief discov diseas distant dna down dramat drug due easi easier easteren eat effect eight enabl engin english enhanc ensur entir equal ethic even eventu ever everyon evid exampl excess exhaust exist expand expert exponenti fabric face fact factor famili far farm farmington father faulti favor fear feasibl februari femal fiber find florenc food freedom fuller fullest futur gene genet genom genuin germlin glyphos gm go goal god great greenhaven grow hall hammerstrom hand happi harvest haseltin haugen health healthi heart helen help herbicid hesit high hill hold howev human hunger hungri iii ill imagin immedi immun impair improp improv incid includ incom increas indirect individu infect infertil inflamm inflict inform inhibit intent introduct involv irrevers islam karri kidney laura law leap learn leav less level life like live liver longer love m made maiz make malaria male male-femal manipul mankind market mass materi matter may mean medic medicin mere method might million mind minim miss mix modif modifi mother motor ms much multipli musser nation natur near necessari need new next nick noah none normal note obvious occur one oppos option order organ outcom output overal overus pale parkinson past patient pave peopl perfect perform person pesticid place plant play pogenc point populac pose possibl potato potenti pound practic pre pre-exist press previous print privileg produc product progress prove proven provid purchas quadrupl qualiti quasi quasi-human quell quick rang realiti reason rectifi reduc referencepoint regardless regul reimplant relationship relic repair replac requir resist resourc respons result right rigor risk robust roleff sachedina safe safer safeti said san satan save scholar scientif scientist scott scrutini seat see seen seven shall share shelv shortag show shown simpl six skill social solut sometim soybean speech spoken spread starv state stop studi success suffer susan sweet syndrom system take tamara technolog test thank therapi therefor thing though throughout thus time today toll tradit travi treat treatment trial tribul tripl true tuberculosi tumor under-privileg undertaken unnecessari usag use util valu van varieti various vegetarian violat viral voic wambugu way wealthi weed well whether whole whose wide widespread william within without work world worri worth would year