Jeans?

Nope, sorry. Not jeans, just GENES. :)

Haha. That was probably the lamest science pick-up line I have ever heard.
My biology teacher decided to try and interest us in genetics for the next unit. In short: I have an essay due Monday about genetics. Yay.

But in all seriousness, I am actually interested in genetics. I mean, if I could just change one base pair, I could have been taller! Imagine that.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my essay about the Human Genome Project.
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Cracking the Code of Life
Written by Sara Lee

Every single human has DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, in their body. The Human Genome Project mapped out the numerous genes all in order, and gave our generation new information to treat genetic disorders and diseases. This new development led to gene therapy, which then led to gene enhancement. These new discoveries are all good in the name of science, but when the boundaries of scientific advancement and morality became hazy, a new conflict began to arise: is this pursuit of knowledge really ethical?

First of all, what is the human genome project? The U.S. Human Genome Project last 13 years, and was aimed to identify all of the genes in a person’s DNA, determine the sequence of base pairs, and provide this information to use in new technology and store it as well in databases. The reason this is important is because a genome is made up of the entire DNA in a cell. The genes carry information to make proteins, and these proteins determine the physical structure of the organism, the performance of its bodily functions, and sometimes how it acts! If we have a wide knowledge of DNA variations, this can help us understand human biology, epidemiology, and a variety of different areas of science.

Personally, I think that the Human Genome Project is a huge benefit and a great source of information for any scientist who wants to do work in the genetics field. However, the morality comes into question—when is it acceptable to change the genes of a person to permanently alter who they are? For me, gene therapy seems to be highly beneficial for those who can’t live a normal lifestyle, but could possibly live a better and a happier life with this genetic change.

Gene enhancement, on the other hand, is a revolting idea to me. Changing someone who is perfectly beautiful, intelligent, with their own unique strengths and weaknesses to one who is artificially enhanced physically, intellectually, and personality wise is a morally disgusting prospect. The level of human society would advance, but the level of humanity would diminish! So no, I do not believe that a person should be capable of enhancing the physical characteristics and intelligence of their children, but if needed be it should be used to help a person live a healthy and more fulfilling lifestyle, and that option should be given.

A pair of obvious advantages and disadvantages stem from similar issues—the advancement and abuse using new information. Of course, using newly discovered information, people can continue to make groundbreaking discoveries and further scientific research, but this fact can also go the other way. Abusing this information to develop methods to detract from the humanity of people will make us little more than animals—the subconscious desire and need to be born smarter, stronger, more attractive is what defines the other creatures on this planet. One of the major differences between these animals and humans is that humans have the ability to develop character traits and develop themselves throughout our lives. Without the need to develop, we could very easily lose what defines us to be human.

The Human Genome Project is a mission that will be remembered throughout history for delivering the complete human genome into the hands of future scientists and researchers. There is no doubt that this project was a great achievement that took much time and effort by those who worked on it. The accomplishment is commendable, but I can only watch and wait to see the effects of this project as the international society takes a peaked interest in genetic manipulation and study. Someone once said that “nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better”. I certainly hope this is true.