Genetic Engineering The Solution to Hunger and Disease...

Genetic Engineering: The Solution to Hunger and Disease In case you were not sure, we don’t live in a perfect world. Millions of people die every year. Two significant causes of death are hunger and disease (I am aware that there are more causes such as war and crime, but they are irrelevant to this essay). There are about 5.6 billion people on earth; all of whom need to eat. However, only a certain amount of food (less that what everyone needs) can be produced. With the use of pesticides, much of the food that is produced is not as nutritional as it could be. Food production costs are also inordinately high due to the crop’s weaknesses to pests, pesticides, and weather fluctuations. On an ascetic level, tomatoes are†¦show more content†¦GE can come pretty close to ending hunger. The goal here is to improve the quantity of food from plants and improve the amount of milk and meat that cattle produce. There are three ways in which ‘agricultural engineering’ can be done. Scientists can mass produce the bac teria that plants need for nitrogen fixation. Another method of agricultural engineering entails the growing of individual plant cells in cultures in order to screen for genetically superior traits. A third method, and perhaps the most efficient, pertains to splicing new genes into plants and animals themselves (Weintraub 156). With respect to the third approach of plant engineering, scientists are working on splicing the genes needed for the production of 1- lysine, an amino acid which has nutritional value for humans. By enhancing the nutritional value of corn in some Third World countries, an expansion of food supplies would be unnecessary (Ellis 153). Other possibilities of gene engineering that evolve from gene splicing is the manipulation of a plantÕs genes that regulates photosynthesis, which increase plant productivity. As a direct consequence of higher yield in plants, the demand for fertilizer will diminish (Weintraub 158). The last use of GE in plants is to make plant s that produce natural pesticides. Natural pesticides would cut food production cost an eliminate a major health hazard and cause of pollution. With all the types of GE on plants we can make plantsShow MoreRelatedGenetic Engineering Is Ethically Justified824 Words   |  4 PagesOCR AS Level Ethics Genetic engineering Example of part (b) question (b) â€Å"Genetic engineering is ethically justified.† Discuss [10] Since the development of genetic engineering in the 1970s, scholars have questioned its ethical justification, claiming that it was playing God’ and was unnatural. Others claimed that humans have always altered their environment to benefit themselves. An example is that of genetically modified crops which some people believe can be justified for a numberRead MoreGenetically Modified Foods1303 Words   |  6 Pagesbe a solution for scarcity of food and even it is healthy. However, some others say that GMFs are dangerous for public health. And It can damage biodiversity. Genetically modified foods may be a good solition to increase the amount of food. The problem is there are lots of people go to sleep hungry everyday and the number of hungry people is getting bigger. And International Food Policy Research Institute state there are â€Å"120 devoloping countries† which are very close to limit of hunger and â€Å"57Read MoreGenetically Modified Organisms And The Environment1284 Words   |  6 Pageshave become a danger to humans and the environment. Although some may think that genetic engineering is progress for humanity others think America should not produce and sell genetically modified organisms because it is unsafe for human consumption, and it is harmful to the environment. Genetically modified organisms are living organisms that have been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteriaRead MoreGenetic Modification : Genetically Modified Organism1067 Words   |  5 Pages Genetic modification will improve life everywhere by helping to feed the hungry and curing the sick. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, this means an organism containing genetic material that has been artificially altered so as to produce a desired characteristic. Generally, genetic modification happens one of two ways. First, picks the organism with desired traits and breeds it to another with the same traits, making the desired traitsRead MoreThe Hunger Crisis And Its Effects On The World1532 Words   |  7 Pagesscience fiction films, such as Soylent Green the world is facing a hunger crisis due to overpopulation. To fight this problem the government gives out controlled rations to the poor and middle classes. The rations may look like neon green saltine crackers made with normal ingredients but they are actually made of people. Soylent Green is parallel to the way the world is today. Currently, we are in a world hunger crisis and the solution that our scientists and government have come up with is geneticallyRead MoreEnvironmental And Consumer Organizations Protest Against Genetic Engineering1495 Words   |  6 Pagestomatoes. There are opponents and supporters of GMO alike. Environmental and consumer organizations protest against genetic engineering claiming that the GMO foods bring risks to human health. On the supporting side, it is believed that the use of genetically modified crops provides potential benefits. Firstly, they play a significant role in food security as one of the possible solutions to undernourishment. Secondly, genetically modified plants are cheaper to grow and better able to survive climateRead MoreControvercy Over Genetic Engineering782 Words   |  3 Pages Genetic engineering is the use of various methods to manipulate the DNA of cells to change hereditary traits or produce biological products. The development of genetic engineering was discovered in 1968 by Swiss microbiologist Werner Arber. However, type II restriction enzymes, which are essential to genetic engineering for their ability to cleave a specific site within the DNA (as opposed to type I restriction enzymes, which cleave DNA at random sites), were not identified until 1969, when theRead MoreThe Problem Of Global Poverty1609 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty is one of the largest dilemmas plaguing the world today. Solutions to solving the global issue of poverty are constantly debated, as world leaders try to find the best possible approach. However, in order to work towards solving the problem of global poverty, we must first identify the key cause. The main source of global pove rty is the inaccessibility to food as a necessary biological need, otherwise known as world hunger. Food is necessary in order to live. It provides fuel for basic biologicalRead MoreGenetic Engineering : A World Where Autism And Downs Syndrome1270 Words   |  6 PagesGenetic Engineering Imagine a world where autism and downs syndrome are a thing of the past, and where there is no shortage on food for anybody. Over the years mankind has developed and improved technology to save more and more lives through the manipulation of the DNA that makes up all living organisms. However, there are those who oppose this approach. Despite the risks and ethical concerns, genetic engineering holds the potential to benefit humanity through both direct and indirect means. InRead MoreDoes Gmos Have Detrimental Effect On World Health1412 Words   |  6 Pagesfood. People are starving around the globe while the rest of us live a comfortable existence. Several companies have used their scientific expertise to genetically modify seeds to increase crop yields in an attempt to feed the masses and end world hunger. Can they do it? In the short run, yes they can, but it is important to ask at what cost?† What are they not telling us? If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Although the genetically modified food industry has so far been instrumental