Genetic+Engineering

Genetic engineering refers to techniques that artificially alter the genes (the chemicals that control heredity) in an organism, thus changing both the organism and its descendants. In the 1970s, scientists developed ways to make new combinations of genes and to introduce individual genes into the genetic makeup of plants, animals, and other organisms. Scientists have developed bacteria, for example, with genes that produce or break down certain chemicals. They have inserted a growth gene into mice, causing them to grow twice their natural size. They have transferred genes from one species into another; in one experiment, a bacteria gene was inserted into a tomato plant, creating a line of plants resistant to caterpillars. Researchers for the J. Craig Venter Institute replaced the entire gene tic identity of a microbe and applied for a patent for the new bacteria in 2006. Such developments, like those of assisted reproduction, have been met with concern about their ethical implications. Some opponents of genetic engineering stress the possible environmental damage caused by the accidental or purposeful release of genetically engineered bacteria or other organisms. Others object to the creation of chimeras (genetic combinations of multiple species) or the idea that any life form can be patented. As in the field of assisted reproduction, many object to the idea that life is a commodity that can be manipulated or tinkered with for selfish reasons. Longtime genetics critic Jeremy Rifkin asks

, "Do we want our children to grow up in a world where the genetics codes of plants, animals, and humans are interchangeable and living things are programmed as engineered products with no greater intrinsic value than autos or microwave ovens?" But many researchers on the cutting edge of biotechnology reject the notion that their work is unethical. Mark Bedau, a philosopher and chief executive of a company trying to make single-cell organisms from chemical components, acknowledges that what he is doing could be seen as "playing God," but argues that "playing God is a good thing to do as long as you’re doing it responsibly."