Biotechnology

Biotechnology is used in a myriad of ways today, even to make ice cream more smooth and creamy. An eel-like fish, the ocean pout, produces a natural antifreeze protein that is now made by genetically modified bacteria. The product is readily available to all, even ice-cream manufacturers who want their product to be free of ice crystals. Modern biotechnology has also made it possible for farmers, bioengineers, and medical scientists to alter the genotype and subsequently the phenotype of plants, animals, and humans.

Genetically modified crops are resistant to disease and able to grow under stressful conditions. Farm animals grow larger than usual, and humans are supplied with normal genes to make up for ones that do not function as they should. But others worry that genetically-modified bacteria and plants might harm the environment and that the products produced by altered organisms might not be healthy for humans.

Other ethical concerns abound. Is it ethical to give a cat a gene that makes it glow? To what extent would it be proper to improve the human genome? Everyone should be knowledgeable about modern genetics so they can participate in deciding these issues.

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