Nowadays we have entered into a new scientific age in which scientists are not only capable of reading genetic code, but also they are capable of writing it. With the knowledge of this code through which life is programmed, they have the latent possibility of reprogramming that code and redesigning life itself. This new mastery of manipulating DNA is called synthetic biology.
This field combines science and engineering, in which standard parts (genes,cells, amino acids, bases, proteins,circuits) can be assembled using bioinformatic and software modeling tools that will insert or modify biological functions to create new characteristics in organisms that don’t exist in nature. Through this, scientists seek to understand how living things work and furthermore they want to solve problems with potential applications differing from fighting pollution and cancer to manufacturing cheaper fuel and drugs.
Nevertheless we all know that when humans have such kind of power in their hands, they become ambitious, what if synthetic biology opens the possibilities to create biological weapons, in which a genocide virus could be spread to attack enemy countries? or can you imagine “DNA hackers” that will disperse secrets DNA codes through the internet? is this going to permit the elite to redesign themselves to get superior organs and be more intelligent and long-lived than the rest of the world? will this power be left in the hands of only the most powerful multinational companies?what do you think?
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ReplyDeleteThe first thing that came to my mind was Captain America. Manipulating DNA to create a super strong soldier. I have always believe that science is always one step ahead, and people are not always ready to understand what all the scientific advances mean to our own evolution and progress. However, science can be very ambitious, and there is when things can go wrong.
ReplyDeleteI’ll support all the discoveries and developments in science as long as they don’t begin to threaten the integrity of humanity, I think that that’s when science turns dangerous. There might be reliable organizations that determine the limits of science, because we are not only body, but also soul, if we start seeing ourselves as just a jumble of organs, bones, and muscles, we will forget the importance of feelings and the enrichment of our spirit.
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