Genetic engineering is a term we are hearing more and more these past years. While most people have heard of it, they do not know what genetic engineering even means. Genetic engineering is the direct manipulation of an organism’s genes using biotechnology. Genetic engineering is mainly used on plants and animals. Genetic engineering can also be used to mass-produce insulin, human growth hormones, follistim (for treating infertility), human albumin, monoclonal antibodies, antihemophilic factors, vaccines, and many other drugs.

Some examples of genetic engineering are bananas and golden rice. Bananas are very healthy and people all around the world eat them. But, bananas are particularly vulnerable to diseases. Scientists from Uganda have genetically modified the bananas genes and added a pepper gene, giving it a lot more resistance regarding diseases. The scientists Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyerhad genetically modified rice so that it contained the provitamin A. The lack of the vitamin causes blindness in many children and could cause other deficiency issues. The rice was given the name golden rice because of its color.

While genetic engineering has its benefits, it also has its disadvantages. Some may believe that genetic engineering is not ethical. They feel that implanting one animal/plant’s genes into another is disrupting the natural order of our world. After all, everything was created for a reason and while each plant/animal has its benefits, it should also have some disadvantages. Genetically modified crops could also cause allergic reactions in some people. Some people know that they are allergic to a type of food and they do not eat it. But what if a plant was genetically modified using the plant that the person is allergic to? The person would not know that they might have an allergic reaction to eating that food. Some allergic reactions can even be lethal, so eating that food may be extremely dangerous for them. Genetically modifying food can also have unforeseen side effects. Changing a food to be tolerant for one thing, can make it less tolerant to another. Genetically manipulating an animal or plant’s genes can lead to having negative consequences when it interacts with other species. Species that were genetically engineered are more dominant and that could cause the domestic species to lose their individual traits over-time. This could lead to diversifying issues. The technology to modify plants/animals’ genetic material can also be misused. Right now, it is only being used to help and to make plants and animals grow better. But, it can not be guaranteed that it will stay this way forever. What if some people try to abuse this technology? What will we do then?

As you can see, genetic engineering is very complicated. Many people have conflicting thoughts on it. While some people may believe genetic engineering is our future, others may believe that it will be our ruin. After reading this article, I hope you can now decide whether you support or disagree with genetic engineering.