The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Engineering

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As advances in genetic engineering and technology rapidly increase, synthetic biologists have now contrived and manipulated the genetic code of the bacterium Escherichia coli in a study published by researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston on August 18, 2016. Scientific American’s article, “Most Extensive Reengineering of an Organism’s Genetic Code Now Complete,” poses the onset of a very palpable now and conceivable feat - remaking and altering the genetic makeup of a living organism beyond what is naturally derived from nature, opening the contingency for major breakthroughs and progress in the scientific world. To explain, researchers and synthetic biologists have now reported the most paramount modification of a bacterial genome yet, attempting to find whether such changes can be applied to engineer organisms with properties such as resistance to viral infection, and ascertaining the effects of …show more content…

The project has even served as a prototype for the Human Genome Project, illustrating the consequential impact such research could have on our world. As technology and knowledge of genetic engineering continues to advance, even larger and more ambitious projects can be undertaken; the research conducted on E. coli bacteria serves as the foundation and stepping stone for the small but substantial changes that can be made to any living organism - whether it be microbe, plant, or animal. The reengineering of such microorganisms has already been applied in testing for a cure to HIV, and this advance could soon lead to even more transcendent revelations. Consequently, the team is now seeking to recode the DNA segments of the synthesized E. coli into one unimpaired genome - testing whether the organism is capable of life and