Genetic engineering is one of those subjects that inspires controversy. In some ways, humans have been engaging in genetic composition engineering for thousands of years, breeding plants and animals to encourage certain characteristics to become dominant. In other ways, the direct genetic manipulation of plants, animals, or even humans could become incredibly problematic for a wide variety of reasons.
There are certain key points that should be addressed in this conversation, so here is a look at the pros and cons of alternating the genetic composition.
The Pros of Alternating the Genetic Composition
1. It can be used to correct genetic faults.
Humans, plants, and animals are all born with a complete system of genetics that has designed itself to provide the essentials of life. From time to time, that genetic information mutates for some reason. There may also be faulty genetic information passed from parent to child. By alternating the genetic composition of living things, we can provide more variability within the spectrum of life to not only find and correct genetic faults, but potentially repair them as well.
2. It could further increase the life spans of those who call our planet home.
Genetic composition could be alternated in such a way that only the best genes are naturally passed along from parent to child. Stronger genes may equate to a lower risk of disease development or increased longevity, both which have the potential of increasing the average life span of each species that has been targeted. We already know that shorter telomeres can contribute to longer life spans. Healthy people could alternate shorter and longer telomeres through treatment to reach a potential age of 150.
3. It may eliminate potentially debilitating physical symptoms.
Genetic diseases are notoriously bad for creating many bothersome physical symptoms that may require 24/7 care. By alternating one set of genes for another, the underlying disease may potentially be treated and this could relieve the bothersome symptoms that are being experienced. The transfer of healthy genes to replace malfunctioning ones could even start a whole new wave of medical therapies in time.
4. We could potentially create individually tailored medicines.
Imagine going to the doctor, having a genetic test done, and then have alternating genes created through pharmaceuticals that are individually made to meet disease needs. That the future world of genetics if research is able to stay on pace with expectations. Swapping out malfunctioning genes for functioning ones for all diseases could help us find cures for MS, ALS, and maybe even stop cancer in its tracks, even if it has metastasized.
5. It could increase the human population.
Millions of people die from genetic diseases every year. Many of them die while newborns or while in infancy. How could they change the world if given the opportunity? Alternating the genetic composition would help us be able to answer that question.
6. It may create a more secure form of criminal justice.
Alternating genetic information, if kept in a database, could be used as an effective identification tool from law enforcement officials. Although there would naturally be privacy concerns with such a database, it would virtually eliminate false convictions when processed correctly.
The Cons of Alternating the Genetic Composition
1. Many gene alternating therapies wind up creating a mutation that has a high likelihood of being problematic.
When gene alternating therapies have been attempted in animals, about half of the time the therapy works. The other half of the time, a mutation occurs after one gene has been replaced with the malfunctioning one. Even in successful cases, there is a minimum 5% risk of having a mutation occur. Because these mutations can be unpredictable, there is not guarantee that even a successful outcome will truly be successful.
2. Genetic engineering has the potential to change life as we know it.
Genetic alternating might be considered a safe practice when it comes to plant life, but the fact remains that any genetic changes have the potential to change life as we know it on this planet. Some changes may place human life at risk. Other changes may place an entire ecosystem at risk. One small genetic change may be enough to tip the scales of the food change. Despite our knowledge, we really don’t know what may happen.
3. It could lead to viral and bacterial mutation.
Viruses and bacteria are some of the most resilient creatures on our planet today. As genetic alternating occurs, it is very likely these small organisms will evolve and grow so they can continue living in their altered hosts. These mutations could very well create a pandemic situation in non-altered humans and other forms of life that could not only put life at risk, but reduce the overall amount of biodiversity we enjoy on our planet.
4. There are always safety risks.
Alternating genes can be dangerous, even if it is done with the best intent. Plants and animals routinely die because the new genetic coding just isn’t right. In humans, even basic genetic treatments have caused unanticipated deaths because of the way the new genetic information is communicated to the body. There could also be unanticipated side effects from alternating genes, especially in humans, that we have no information about because we haven’t been successful with it as of yet. There are just a lot of questions that remain unanswered.
5. It could create a whole new class of people.
The ethics of genetic composition often involved how viable it is for humans to take on a supernatural role. There’s a secondary ethical question, however, that must also be answered: would alternating genetics be reserved only for the wealthy class and those who could afford them? Or would it be available to everyone?
6. It might limit genetic diversity instead of enhancing it.
If we begin playing with the basic code of genetics in any living species, what we may end up doing is creating a system that requires future genetic engineering to keep life around. Take naval oranges, for example. Every fruit is essentially a clone because the oranges don’t have any seeds. The grafts are taken from a tree in order to reproduce. That could be the future of humanity.
The pros and cons of alternating the genetic composition of life tell us that we often fear the unknown and let that fear dictate our decisions. At one point, most people thought that children born by IVF would live short lives at best and be sub-human monsters at worst. IVF is now a standard fertility treatment. Could the same be said here in the future? Only time will give us the answers.