THE BRIGHTEST HUB FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS

In the movie “The Sixth Day”, a clone of Adam Gibson (Arnold Schwarzenegger) takes over his family and professional role forcing the original character to prove his authenticity in the year 2015.

The movie could not be far from reality especially when experiments to produce human clones are being done clandestinely across the globe.

Cloning debate gained momentum since Dolly, the first cloned mammal, walked over the earth in 1996. The birth of Dolly opened the possibility that humans can be also be cloned using the same technique. Today, scientific cloning is yet to go mainstream mainly because it’s a difficult and expensive procedure and till now the clones produced have not been able to live long enough.

While animal cloning is quite acceptable in the society, we are yet to accept the fact that some time in future human clones will be greeting us in neighborhood parks.

Human cloning is possible through various methods. Embryo cloning, one of the methods, involves production of identical twins artificially. A few cells extracted from a fertilized embryo can be induced to develop into a duplicate embryo having DNA identical to its parent embryo. This technique has been used successfully on animals.

Another method is through removal of DNA from an ovum and replacing it with the DNA of an adult. The fertilized ovum is implanted in a womb and an identical or human clone can be produced. However, studies done on animals show that this technique can result in severe genetic defects in the newborn. Due to these side effects, this technique is banned in several countries but an Italian embryologist claimed to have developed a human clone through this procedure.

Several ethical issues of human cloning crop up through the years. Some people would like to have a clone to have a biological insurance to extract organs from in case their original ones fail or damaged. In this scenario, the existence of a clone just to save the original human being or to act as a replacement for him strongly questions human morality.

While a human clone’s right to identity is jeopardized, questions are raised on his right to inheritance, choice of a life partner, and other crucial life matters.

The safety of cloned humans is also questioned. While most attempts to clone mammals have failed, several of the clones born suffer from debilitating conditions and die prematurely. Moreover, we still don’t know how cloning impacts the brain and other vital organs in the body.

Therapeutic cloning, another technique, differs from reproductive cloning in a way that no offspring is given birth to. Only stem cells are extracted from the pre-embryo for the purpose of developing organs or tissues that can replace the damaged organs of the original DNA donor. The process eliminates the need to wait for the right donor and since the DNA is exactly the same, there are no complications in organ transplantation..

However, many decry such a procedure since the human embryo is destroyed in the extraction of stem cells. They feel that since embryo is equivalent to a human being, he should have rights equal to those of normal humans and killing him just to save the life of another person is simply unjust.

The stem cell proponents, however, claim that the stage at which the stem cells are being extracted is a very nascent stage and the embryo does not have brain to have awareness of the self and also lacks a thought process. They feel it can only be termed as human when it’s aware of the environment and has sensory capabilities, organs and limbs.

Time will tell whether humans are going to accept human cloning technology or not. But many scientists are unstoppable in developing perfect techniques on human cloning and stem cell production.

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There is no love more sincere than the love for food. Food is  a uniting factor among different cultures since everybody likes to taste and enjoy exotic cuisines from around the world. This is also one of the reasons why the issue of genetically modified (GM) food is generating intense debate because we are what we eat. GM food includes crops, fruits and vegetables which are created by combining quality genes of various species and hence have better nutritional and productive value. The difference between this technique and traditional breeding is that latter occurs only between related species and hence is safe whereas there is no final word on safety of mixing genes of unrelated species.

Both sides of GM food debate are equally vociferous in expressing their opinions. While the pro lobby talks about how the GM crop can give a larger and better yield even in inhabitable conditions, the critics talk about risk to health and environment due to genetic alterations and exploitation of the poor by food corporates. Here we have a deeper look at the issue.

Advantages of Genetically Modified Food

Supporters of GM food crops are mostly relying on scientific data claiming that these crops yield much larger quantity and hence can be the solution to the problem of world hunger. The ability of GM crops to be cultivated even in areas with poor soil and harsh weather conditions is one of the advantages of genetically modified food. Another plus point is that the food produced is higher in nutritional value and can also taste better than the traditional variety. GM crops have inbuilt resistance against pests, insects and diseases allowing them to produce higher yield. The proponents are also claiming that genetic modification can even make certain food free of common allergies. This can be done by removing the genes that express the allergens or substances that trigger allergic reactions.

The GM foods are also capable of staying ripe for long hence there is lesser problem of spoilage. This can be done by adding a gene in the crop that expresses an organic compound that will extend the shelf life of the food.

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Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Food

While the pros of GM food may seem rewarding, the critics claim that they don’t hold water. First of all, they counter the technique itself by putting forth the argument that scientists still don’t know much about the genetics GM crops. They may identify quality genes but where to introduce them so as not to disturb the natural expression is still unclear. In fact, this lack of knowledge can lead to faulty interventions and irrepressible side effects. Traditional breeding has natural checks and balances due to breeding between related species but these are missing in GM food crops.

The hope that GM food can be an answer to the world hunger is another faux pause because they claim that millions of people sleep with empty stomach not because of lack of food but because of improper distribution. Millions of tons of food are wasted every month around the world because they do not reach the needy. Financial, infrastructural and political reasons rather than less production are responsible for the large number of hungry people across the globe.

The GM food may be having inbuilt resistance to common pests and insects but these organisms are known to mutate according to changes in their environment for survival. Thus, disease-resistant crops will only give rise to superbugs which will be more difficult to destroy.

Another big issue with GM crops is that they cross-pollinate with nearby normal crops and lead to ecological issues. Furthermore, if GM crops contain vaccines and antibiotics, human health is in peril as it would contribute to the development of resistance genes to human viruses and bacteria that we normally kill using vaccines and antibiotics.

Opponents assert that GM crops are patented by big biotechnology corporations that make sure that the harvested grains/fruits are not viable source of seeds to force farmers to buy costly seeds every time they want to cultivate the land.

Tests to validate the risks of GM crops are very expensive that most corporations avoid testing each and every food item. This increases the chances of unsafe food getting served to people.

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Tweaking a gene or two can bring the desired changes in human body but the technique brings along several moral and ethical issues.

You will have a perfect face if that stub of a nose you got from your father is sharpened a bit. Susceptibility to seasonal allergies is another issue that hassles you day in and day out. We all have something which needs to be altered and made perfect. Developments in science may make such modifications a reality through the use of genetic engineering.

However, the technology is still inviting lots of debates and controversies related to its optimum use. Here we discuss the pros and cons of genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering means alteration of your gene structure to replace any dysfunctional gene with a more efficient one. For instance, if somebody is suffering from cancer, his mutated genes can be replaced with healthy ones through genetic engineering. Another use can be to prevent any family disorder from passing on to a child through gene alteration.

Genetic engineering can either happen through intervention in the sperm and egg cells or via introduction of a viral vector carrying the healthy gene into the body of a person.  Not many people know that one of the first uses of genetic engineering was for production of synthetic insulin which has proved to be a great boon for diabetics.

Pros of Genetic Engineering

As explained above, there are several reasons why genetic engineering can work wonders for the human race. Though we have progressed a lot from the times when smallpox, chickenpox and plague used to wipe out entire cities, new and more lethal diseases like cancer, AIDS, cardiac ailments and Alzheimer’s are still a challenge.

Auto immune diseases are another set of disorders which are troubling several people around the world and are still a mystery for scientists.  With genetic engineering, we can hope to weed out these diseases from their roots which means replacing the faulty genes that allow them to exist and flourish in our bodies. Development of medicines specific to genetic makeup of each individual to get the best results can be one of the pros of genetic engineering.

Not only the diseased and hapless but even healthy and sound can look forward to reap benefits of the technique. Scientists are talking about longer lifespans since the ageing process can be stopped by tweaking particular genes. In fact, not only life spans but complete reversal of time – from old age to childhood or youth – may become a reality.

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Cons of Genetic Engineering

Though benefits of genetic engineering may seem like our ultimate dreams coming true, it is not so easy. There are various risks as well as moral and ethical dilemmas associated with the technique right now. Scientists are still experimenting with genetic engineering and some of these attempts have resulted in death of the subjects because there is still no clarity on how and in what way the healthy genes can be introduced in a body. In addition, the risks of making such an alteration are also not known. There can be an inherent capacity in human body to resist any attempt for genetic makeover by making corresponding changes in the genes elsewhere.

The risk of creating a seemingly perfect race is also manifold. Due to diversity of genes, there are some people who are more prone to a certain disease while there are others who are completely resistant to it. Since with the ‘perfect gene’ theory, we will all be genetically same, a new and more lethal disease can finish off the whole human population in one go.

On the other hand, if there are only a few who get this benefit of having a perfect gene, there will be discrimination. A few “mentally and physically perfect” people ruling large number of lesser mortals can be one of the cons of genetic engineering.

Parents will start making a beeline to have a “designer baby” who can bend it like Beckham and sing it like Bryan Adams while having the looks of Tom Cruise.

So is it really necessary for scientists to play God and change the genetic character of people to make them healthy or increase their life spans? Maybe with time and greater knowledge, we get to understand things better. Moral and ethical issues aside, genetic engineering holds a great scope in medical field and restricting the use of this technology only to deal with chronic and deadly diseases can be the solution which helps us all.

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