Ethics

• Ethical concerns

  • The pure human medicines, antibiotics and enzymes produced from inserting human genes into microorganisms is now seen as very beneficial.
• GM plants

  • The genetic modification of plants will help feed the ever growing human population and overcome environmental issues including excess carbon dioxide production and pollution.
• Insect resistance in GM soya beans

  Over half are from GM strains.

  • Inserted a gene into soya beans so that they produce the Bt protein.
  • The Bt protein is toxic to many of the pest insects that attack the plant and is widely used as a pesticide.
  • Some have been engineered to be resistant to a common weed killer and to contain Bt protein. This means that farmers can spray to get rid of weeds, making all the resources of light, water and minerals available and they don't have to use pesticides.
  • Should enable farmers to grow a higher yield.
• Pest resistance

  + Reduced the amount of pesticide spraying, protecting the environment and helping poor farmers.

  + Increases yield

  -Non pest insects and insect eating predators might be damaged by the toxins in the GM plants

  -Insect pests may become resistant to pesticides in GM plants.
• Desease resistance

  + Crop varieties resistant common plant diseases can be produced, reducing crop losses/ increasing yield.

  -Transferred genes might spread to wild populations (super weeds)
• Herbicide resistance

  + Can be used to reduce competing weeds and increase yield.

  -Biodiversity could be reduced if herbicides are overused to destroy weeds.
• Extended shelf life

  + Reduces food waste

  -May reduce the commercial value and demand for the crop.
• Growing conditions

  + Can grow in wider range of conditions and survive adverse conditions (flood resistance or drought resistance)
• Nutritional value

  + Nutritional value can be increased

  -People may be allergic to different proteins made in GM crops
• Medical uses

  + Plants could be used to produce human medicines and vaccines
• Patenting

  • New technology can be legally patented, no one else can use it without payment.
  • The people who need it most may not be able to afford to use the technology.
  • May not be able to harvest seeds from one year to the next.
• GM animals

  Researching micro injections= tiny particles of gold covered in DNA and modified viruses to carry new genes into animal DNA

  • Swine fever resistant pigs= inserted gene into early embryo giving them immunity to swine fever.
  • Faster growing salmon= these genes cause them to produce growth hormones all year round. Making them efficient food source.
• Pharming technologies

  • Creating animal models= the addition of removal of genes so that animals develop certain diseases, acting as models of new therapies.
  • Creating human proteins= introduction of a human genes coding for a medically require protein, bacteria can't produce all complex eukaryotic proteins. The human gene introduced into a fertilised cow, sheep, goat egg along with a promotor so the gene is expressed only in the mammary glands. Fertilised egg is returned to the mother, after born and matured the proteins produced in the milk are harvested.
• Pharming= use of genetic engineering in animals in the production of human medicines