There are some things, in science, that people just don’t seem to talk about.  These subjects are either too distasteful to mention or include deeper ethical questions that may cause controversy; the ‘taboos’ of science, if you will.  One of these such subjects pertains to genetic engineering.  Sure, altering and designing crops and other foods is fine, but as soon as you mention human engineering, well…

To fully understand this subject we must first understand genetic engineering.  A good definition of genetic engineering is a technique, usually used in a laboratory, to alter the DNA of a living organism.  In this process, scientists can change certain features of said organism to reach the desired, improved, or altered outcome.  This can be done in multiple ways.  Two of the most common are to eliminate sections of the genetic code entirely or to replace the coding with sequences from other organisms.  In most cases, genetic engineering is typically used on different foods.  For example, tomatoes that are susceptible to frost are altered by DNA of certain types of fish, which can survive in very cold temperatures.

It is obvious how this process can make it easier for societies to reach a healthy balance of different necessary products.  However, there are many things besides food that can be altered.  There are three main types of cross-species combinations that have been isolated.  Combinations of human and plant DNA have been used in order to create vaccines for some diseases including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Along these same lines, sequences have recently been extracted from animals with similar organ size to humans in order to enhance cell health and growth.  Continuing on these lines, DNA sequencing can be used to improve overall enhancement of the heart, kidneys and other organs in humans.  Scientists are now working to isolate certain ‘defective’ coding entirely to ‘build a better human’.  But where do we draw the line?

When it comes to genetic research, there are more questions asked than answered.  A geneticist may easily be able to tell you the process by which they alter and improve the DNA, but will they definitively be able to tell you that they are not passing the boundaries of new creations in life?  Will there be any long-term consequences that effect human health?  Are there any sorts of social or cultural consequences?  Is it considered immoral?  If the enhancements continue, would everyone have access to this technology?  If not, how might this affect the ties and differences between social classes?  Will genetic engineering change the definition of what it means to be ‘normal’?  These are not questions easily answered by one person.