Thursday, October 18, 2018

Making Things With A Genetically Engineered Organelle

By Mark Thomas


The thing about the body that a human being comes packaged in is that its not just one singular entity. Yes, it may look that way, but its in fact made of up of several different and interconnected parts, each layering over or working alongside the other into create a singular person. That is true in pretty much everything in life. Nothing is ever just one thing. It is always made up of smaller parts. In the same sense, the most infinitesimal of building blocks also have building blocks of their own, which can be controlled to some extent, like in the case of a genetically engineered organelle.

The first thing that should be done is to explain just what exactly an organelle is. Well, a person has internal organs, and those internal organs all perform a specific function to make that person keep on living. An organelle is much like that for a cell.

Now, given that they are akin to internal organs, organelles do quite a few things. Take for example the nucleus. It is the command center of the cell, in essence, responsible the reproduction as well as growth of that particular cell.

Next up is the concept of genetic engineering. The main reason for its existence is in the name of the practice itself. It is when genetics are engineered Essentially, the genetic structure of an organism is hit with some modifications, usually from an outside source. It is similar to evolution, except that a scientist is the one who is deciding what happens next.

Now, there are a lot of practical applications of it. For example, crops can be modified to produce higher yields. This means that there is more edible crop that can be harvested, one of the great pathways to ending world hunger. Not to mention that it can also be used on people, removing inherited predispositions for things like obesity and diabetes.

But there are some ethical implications to the practice. For example, there are those who fear the concept of designer babies, where germ line editing is done to an embryo in order to remove the risk of things like heart disease and other diseases. But there are those who fear that this will lead to a recurrence in eugenics.

Scientists who can conduct the requisite experiments can be found. They are not going to be easily found, but they do exist. A quick search for specialist in the field of biology and chemistry and genetics should lead to some names. Another great way is to go to a research university, where many of the professors teaching there are also high level scientists.

Now, there are some ethical implications to any science experiment. Everything should be done safely and properly. The scientific method, the step by step guide by which all experiments are conducted, should be adhered to.

It used to be that control was an illusion. But its now a reality to some extent. And as time progresses, that extent will only get extended.




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