Chapter 18: Cures (Genome)

•As the third millennium dawns, we are for the first time in a position to edit the text of our genetic code.

• It is no longer a precious manuscript; it is on disc. We can cut bits out, add bits in, rearrange paragraphs or write over words.

• The obvious destination towards which genetic research is headed is a genetically engineered human being.

• To move paragraphs around I use little software icons suitably decorated by the kind folk at Microsoft to indicate that they do the same job (i.e., cutting paper with real scissors and pasting with real glue).

• In both cases (moving text and genes), fortunately nature had already invented them for her own purposes: an enzyme called ligase (the glue) and restriction enzymes (the scissors).

•In order to find a human gene in the genome, scientists put it in a bacterium and grow millions of copies of it.

• Vast libraries of human DNA have been created containing thousands of overlapping fragments of the human genome.

• The Human Genome Project is an effort to piece together the complete text of the human genome.

• One way to find genes is to clone a cDNA library. This gives no hint of the order or position of the genes genes genes.

•Somatic gene therapy is a treatment for disorders that is no longer very controversial.

• Cancer treatment looks hopeful due to the new genetics.

• Germline gene therapy would be much easier to do, but it is a total taboo in human beings.

• The genetic engineering of plants took off rapidly for several reasons, one being that farmers have for many years provided an eager market for new seed varieties.

•GM crops were created by manipulating genes to make them resistant to pests, herbicides, and disease.

• These crops went through various stages of testing before being commercialized.

• There was strong environmental resistance to these crops when they were first introduced in Europe.

• The media polarized the debate around these crops, with some claiming they were dangerous and others claiming they were safe.

• Despite the opposition, GM crops are now widely used in the US.

• Transgenic animals are also now possible to create, by injecting a gene into an embryo.

•In the 1970s, Mario Capecchi discovered homologous recombination, which allows for gene repair or replacement.

• This technology has led to the creation of transgenic and knockout animals for scientific and commercial purposes.

• While technical obstacles to breeding transgenic or knockout human beings are diminishing, there is currently no way to create a clone that is identical in every way except for one altered gene.

• When human cloning becomes possible, it will raise ethical questions about tampering with nature and individual rights.

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Related posts:

1. Law 17: Seize the Historical Moment (The Laws of Human Nature)
2. Part 2: Isolate the Victim (The Art of Seduction)
3. Chapter 16: The Capitalist Creed (Sapiens)
4. On Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra Summary (8.4/10)