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So you're not a master scientist, huh?
Fortunately, you don't need to be
in order to grasp the basics of genetic engineering. Read
our short tutorial and you'll be able to discuss the topic
with the best of them.
Some biology basics
Plants and animals are made
up of millions of cells. Each cell has a nucleus, and inside
every  nucleus
are strings of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid, if you want to
get technical). DNA contains complete information regarding
the function and structure of organisms ranging from plants
and animals to bacterium.
A gene represents the blueprint of an animal
or plant. Genes determine an organism's growth, size, and
other characteristics. Genes are made up of sequences of DNA..
As you remember from basic biology, genes are the units by
which species transfer inheritable characteristics from one
generation to the next.
Genetic engineering is the process of artificially
tampering with these blueprints. Through genetic engineering,
scientists insert the gene of one organism into another in
an effort to replicate characteristics in the receiving organism.
So, for example, genetic engineers have
added genes from the flounder to tomatoes in an attempt to
give tomatoes a longer shelf life.
Genetic engineers also plan to use the
technology to improve nutrition and even come up with medical
benefits. But some biotechnology companies are also using
genetic engineering to produce crops that can withstand increased
amounts of pesticides, often pesticides sold by those very
same companies.
Genetic
engineering: A fancy version of crossbreeding?
Farmers have used crossbreeding--interbreeding between
two varieties of the same or similar species--to improve crops
and animals for thousands of years.
Genetic engineering, though, offers a radical
new twist on this theme. In crossbreeding, farmers don’t
stray far between species. Broccoli can be crossbred with
cauliflower, for example, but not an eggplant. And certainly,
no one would ever try to crossbreed a tomato with a fish.
Through genetic engineering, these natural barriers have been
blown away--with, some scientists say, unpredictable results.
“We are living today in a very delicate
time, one that is reminiscent of the birth of the nuclear
era, when mankind stood at the threshold of a new technology,”
says Dr. John Fagan, a molecular biologist and former genetic
engineer. “No one knew that nuclear power would bring
us to the brink of annihilation or fill our planet with highly
toxic radioactive waste. We were so excited by the power of
a new discovery that we leapt ahead blindly, and without caution.
Today the situation with genetic engineering is perhaps even
more grave because this technology acts on the very blueprint
of life itself.”
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