Did you know that over 1.2 million Africans have died within the last two years due to the lack of food? As this problem continues, many world leaders are trying to come across methods that will reduce this problem. Although donations are commonly granted, many of these donations can only cope with a small percent of this problem. However, scientists have found an alternative source that will greatly assist this immense concern. As a result of their long, extensive research, scientists have discovered a way to genetically alter seeds, thus possibly solving the food shortage. Imagine increasing the size of a grain of rice by 50% and multiplying that increase by a million pounds. This clearly shows one of the possible options that genetic engineering has to offer. Genetic engineering is a new medical breakthrough that will play a tremendous role in improving world issues, our farming and medical technology.
Genetic engineering is an excellent step toward improving the quality of food that is donated to third world countries. Many third world countries today are not getting a good amount of nutrition due to the low amount of food they receive. For instance, organizations are compelled to limit their food donation due to the high demand of food assistance. With this limitation, people do not have the option to discard any food donation that has inferior quality. As a result of this, people are not only dying of food starvation but also from food intoxication. With genetic engineering, food cannot only be increased in size but also engineered to reduce common spoilage as well as increase the nutrition of the food. Genetic engineering will also improve the quantity of food. If we continue to destroy land, our primary food source, who knows what the future has in store for us. For example, as a result of World War II and Vietnam, land has been considered non-farmable because of the infection left by nuclear and chemical use. To make matters worse, countries are now experimenting with biological weapons. If a war were to break out now, the after affect will be greatly devastating on not only humans but also on our crops. With its ability to increase food greatly, genetic engineering can help restore our lost crops. As it clearly shows, genetic engineering is a great tool for improving world hunger as well as future problems.
Genetic engineering can also be a great asset in improving ours farming. First, genetic engineering can help our crop defend itself from pesky insects. For instance, Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt, is a bacterium that kills certain insects. When insects eat the protein produced by Bt, it will disrupt their digestive system and cause death. If we were to genetically engineer seeds to have this bacterium, the chance of insects destroying our crop will reduce. Second, genetic engineering has the ability to help us enhance our soil. For hundreds of years we have been trying to come up with ways to improve our soil. Although some people were successful, the methods they have created consist of long, extensive planning. With genetic engineering, improving soil can be as easy as planting a seed. For instance, when a seed is genetically altered, the seed is given genes that will be helpful in improving the soil. When a seed is fully altered, the seed will have a greater adaptation to the soil. Due to the seed’s ability to adapt more, the relationship between the seed and soil will be enhanced. Experiencing the hassle of farming can be moderately minimized, when applying the method of genetic engineering.
Medical technology will be given a powerful edge when using genetic engineering. Many scientists believe that genetic engineering will significantly reduce our tendency to become sick. With a new medical technique called Human Germline Engineering, a person can be immune to certain diseases from the moment of conception. For instance, at the moment a female egg is fertilized, the disease resistant gene will be microscopically injected into the egg, so when the person is fully grown, their body will able to resist certain diseases.
Although the process is not entirely complete, scientists believe that this medical technique will be the icebreaker for eliminating common diseases. Second, genetic engineering can be critical in helping people with their genetic setbacks. There are some people who are born with genetic flaws or some sort of genetic setback that gives them a disadvantage in life. The fear of inheriting a genetic flaw can be eliminated with help of genetic engineering. For instance, gene therapy, another form of genetic engineering, was found to help treat certain cancers such as melanoma and neuroblastoma. Scientists were able to eliminate a genetic defect, such as hemophilia, from an entire family line with a single procedure. With new medical advancement today, genetic engineering demonstrates significant potential.
In summary, genetic engineering is a newly discovered medical technique that will be essential for solving global issues. Many of today’s issues are becoming too great to handle. With genetic engineering, problems such as world hunger can be significantly improved. With a couple of genetically altered seeds, the rate of farming can be greatly increased. As it was not enough to improve world hunger, genetic engineering will also have a crucial effect on our medical technology. With all the vital possibilities genetic engineering has to offer, it will be mind-boggling to hear that this medical treatment has been discarded. Science is not only our means of explaining effects; it is our means of existences.
