29 Nisan 2012 Pazar
la-la-la GMOs GMOs GMOs la-la-lö
- Is it altering a plant or animals DNA justified by the benefit that it may bring to humans? Just how far is it acceptable to go in manipulating a species genes? Should experiments be stopped if they start to modify the ecosystems they are in? Who should decide?
- Wake up- Have a breakfast- Go out-Work,Work,Work-Have a lunch-Work, Work,Work-Come back home-Sleep -Wake up-Have a breakfa...
Isn't the life so boring and monotone? More or less, we all can guess what will our future bring us. BUT if we had the chance to choose to be a spider-man or Hulk, things would start to sound a little better right? I mean, who could say no to such an ability like being invisible?
With the technology that we have at the moment, we can not just decide how we want to be like. Since the genetic tranfer needs to be done right after the fertilization and before the embryo develops. Therefore it is our mother who will be able to decide for us being a Hulk or so. I know we all want to choose what kind of a creature by ourselves. So we can either start to study on that to find out or just sit at home and wish that someone can find out for us.
This was a different story. Now, lets talk about the GMOs in today's world.
Scientists modifies the organisms in order to make them desirable. This modifying process is done by using genetic transfer from a donor organism to the recipiant organism. The intented gene is cut with endonucleases and copied by using a host cell like e.coli and pasted into the recipiant's DNA. Genetic modification is mostly done to the plants and crops to make them more resistant to cold or salinity and also to grow them fast. For example; the corns that genetically has pesticide and tomatoes that are resistant to cold are today's most common GMOs at the markets. Eventhough everything seems to work succesfully, it is never certain how the long-term affect is going to be like. Therefore there is always that possibility of harming the nature as well as harming humans. When studying the negative effects of GMOs, it should not be only focused on human's life. It should cover the whole environment since it might bring harm to an animal species even though it is beneficial to humans. Even if the studies show that there is no harm to the animal/plant individual, as a consequince, the GMOs might lead to an artificial "survival for the fittest" which can make some species extinct.
Another argument is that " Do we really NEED to modify organisms?" It has been said that GMOs will prevent the world hunger. More efficiency in growing food can help world hunger for sure. But then the question is "Do we need more food or a better food distrubution?" While some people having difficulty to lose weight because they eat to much, some people are left to starve. Unless, we change the way of living and decreasing the financial gap between people, GMOs would not help so much. Also, some companies choose to make such genetic modifications that the seeds can not be used more than one. This creates some ideas in mind that maybe in the future, all the food industry will be depending on couple of companies. These kind of things are enough to scare people about GMOs.
At the moment, the ones who decide that GMOs should be done is mostly the ones who run a business related to crops and plants. But who should decide is US; everyone on this earth and our children.
- Wake up- Have a breakfast- Go out-Work,Work,Work-Have a lunch-Work, Work,Work-Come back home-Sleep -Wake up-Have a breakfa...
Isn't the life so boring and monotone? More or less, we all can guess what will our future bring us. BUT if we had the chance to choose to be a spider-man or Hulk, things would start to sound a little better right? I mean, who could say no to such an ability like being invisible?
With the technology that we have at the moment, we can not just decide how we want to be like. Since the genetic tranfer needs to be done right after the fertilization and before the embryo develops. Therefore it is our mother who will be able to decide for us being a Hulk or so. I know we all want to choose what kind of a creature by ourselves. So we can either start to study on that to find out or just sit at home and wish that someone can find out for us.
This was a different story. Now, lets talk about the GMOs in today's world.
Scientists modifies the organisms in order to make them desirable. This modifying process is done by using genetic transfer from a donor organism to the recipiant organism. The intented gene is cut with endonucleases and copied by using a host cell like e.coli and pasted into the recipiant's DNA. Genetic modification is mostly done to the plants and crops to make them more resistant to cold or salinity and also to grow them fast. For example; the corns that genetically has pesticide and tomatoes that are resistant to cold are today's most common GMOs at the markets. Eventhough everything seems to work succesfully, it is never certain how the long-term affect is going to be like. Therefore there is always that possibility of harming the nature as well as harming humans. When studying the negative effects of GMOs, it should not be only focused on human's life. It should cover the whole environment since it might bring harm to an animal species even though it is beneficial to humans. Even if the studies show that there is no harm to the animal/plant individual, as a consequince, the GMOs might lead to an artificial "survival for the fittest" which can make some species extinct.
Another argument is that " Do we really NEED to modify organisms?" It has been said that GMOs will prevent the world hunger. More efficiency in growing food can help world hunger for sure. But then the question is "Do we need more food or a better food distrubution?" While some people having difficulty to lose weight because they eat to much, some people are left to starve. Unless, we change the way of living and decreasing the financial gap between people, GMOs would not help so much. Also, some companies choose to make such genetic modifications that the seeds can not be used more than one. This creates some ideas in mind that maybe in the future, all the food industry will be depending on couple of companies. These kind of things are enough to scare people about GMOs.
At the moment, the ones who decide that GMOs should be done is mostly the ones who run a business related to crops and plants. But who should decide is US; everyone on this earth and our children.
18 Mart 2012 Pazar
The Human Genome Project
Imagine how life would be if we all look the same, speak the same and think the same. Imagine that there is only one culture that rules the entire world. Would you like it?
Then there would be no discrimination and no holocaust.
Or would there still be some?
On one hand it sounds like a peaceful world and on the other hand it sounds a bit boring. What makes the life so worth living is that the differences in it. Not being able to predict whats coming up. All the inside and outside differences in people makes the world more exciting and colourful.
It is like a small family. We share so much in common with our parents and siblings eventhough we are unique individuals. Of course we have some little problems with our family members but eventually we learn how to respect each other and get along with different ideas. So we can also achieve to get along with our family with 7 billlion member. All we need is tolerance and then we can enjoy different cultures, point of views.
Apart from finding new medical treatments, The Human Genome Project also reveals about human ancestries and how humans migrated. It shows how we humans mixed our genes with other populations (which we call race) as the time passes.
If the humans mixed all that much, then there would be no pure race in these days. So how can anyone claim that their genetic group is superior to another? What we know as pure now can be totally different from how it was ages ago.
Then there would be no discrimination and no holocaust.
Or would there still be some?
On one hand it sounds like a peaceful world and on the other hand it sounds a bit boring. What makes the life so worth living is that the differences in it. Not being able to predict whats coming up. All the inside and outside differences in people makes the world more exciting and colourful.
It is like a small family. We share so much in common with our parents and siblings eventhough we are unique individuals. Of course we have some little problems with our family members but eventually we learn how to respect each other and get along with different ideas. So we can also achieve to get along with our family with 7 billlion member. All we need is tolerance and then we can enjoy different cultures, point of views.
Apart from finding new medical treatments, The Human Genome Project also reveals about human ancestries and how humans migrated. It shows how we humans mixed our genes with other populations (which we call race) as the time passes.
If the humans mixed all that much, then there would be no pure race in these days. So how can anyone claim that their genetic group is superior to another? What we know as pure now can be totally different from how it was ages ago.
18 Şubat 2012 Cumartesi
KARYOTYPING- legal or illegal?
How much of a freedom do we have when the government has the power to tell us that we can not even decide on such issue like abortion? It is not that I personally support abortion or not. It is just the fact that it's not the government's business. The only part that I am thinking government should be involved is that providing money for parents so that they can afford karyotype. However the government should not make any law that forces the parents to have abortion just like how government should not ban the abortion either. It is the parent's responsibilty and if they decide to take care of the child who has a genetic disorder, its their choice. Such decisions can be made because of some personal, religious and phylosophical reasons that all needs to be respected even if you do not agree with it.
Karyotype analysis helps to find out the baby's possible genetic disorder such as having an extra or less chromosome. As the mother gets older,like over 35 years old, the possibility of the baby having a genetic syndrome increases. Therefore the government might take a role to educate people about what happens in pregnancy in old ages. But also there should be an expectation of a karyotype analysis from the mother over the age of 35 since it is more risky for them and for their baby. Because the karyotyping is expensive, if the mother says that she will give birth anyways, the karyotyping does not need to be done. They all have the freedom to decide on it and they might choose not to have abortion even if the baby will have a syndrom such as down syndrome and trisomy-13 syndrome. For the expectance mother who will decide on abortion according to the karyotype analysis and does not have enough money to afford, the government should have a fund to provide karyotype and they should put over 35 age pregnant women as priorety.
What if the government makes the karyotyping illegal?
In many cases,the laws which make the abortion (whether it is because of a genetic syndrome that is known after a karyotype analysis or just because the parents dont want to have the baby for some reason) illegal has a religious view. If the country's dominant religion is against the idea of abortion, the government tend to have such law that would ban karyotype. Even if the religion that the country has is very strinctly against abortion & karyotyping and it is considered as a sin, it is an issue that the individual decide on since the beliefs are totally personal. So if it is considered as a sin by that religion, just let them make a sin then! That's their own sin which does not bother any of the other individual. Also what about the ones who are not even believing that religion? Therefore it does not even make sense to make the karyotyping illegal so ofcourse it should not be illegal to travel to get the karyotyping done in another country.
And suppose that it perfectly made sense to make karyotyping illegal in the country, it still is not nice to make your country's law working in a country that has different laws.
Karyotype analysis helps to find out the baby's possible genetic disorder such as having an extra or less chromosome. As the mother gets older,like over 35 years old, the possibility of the baby having a genetic syndrome increases. Therefore the government might take a role to educate people about what happens in pregnancy in old ages. But also there should be an expectation of a karyotype analysis from the mother over the age of 35 since it is more risky for them and for their baby. Because the karyotyping is expensive, if the mother says that she will give birth anyways, the karyotyping does not need to be done. They all have the freedom to decide on it and they might choose not to have abortion even if the baby will have a syndrom such as down syndrome and trisomy-13 syndrome. For the expectance mother who will decide on abortion according to the karyotype analysis and does not have enough money to afford, the government should have a fund to provide karyotype and they should put over 35 age pregnant women as priorety.
What if the government makes the karyotyping illegal?
In many cases,the laws which make the abortion (whether it is because of a genetic syndrome that is known after a karyotype analysis or just because the parents dont want to have the baby for some reason) illegal has a religious view. If the country's dominant religion is against the idea of abortion, the government tend to have such law that would ban karyotype. Even if the religion that the country has is very strinctly against abortion & karyotyping and it is considered as a sin, it is an issue that the individual decide on since the beliefs are totally personal. So if it is considered as a sin by that religion, just let them make a sin then! That's their own sin which does not bother any of the other individual. Also what about the ones who are not even believing that religion? Therefore it does not even make sense to make the karyotyping illegal so ofcourse it should not be illegal to travel to get the karyotyping done in another country.
11 Şubat 2012 Cumartesi
The Correlation of Sickle-Cell Anemia and Malaria
Sickle cell anemia disease is a genetic blood disorder which happens totally independent from malaria disease. Although sickle cell disease and malaria disease happen on their own, they have a correlation which is a single sickle cell gene can make the individual resistant to malaria disease. Malaria is a such disease that is common in sub-tropical areas and is transmitted by mosquitos. If an offspring inherits only one sickle cell anemia gene which means that person is a carrier of the disease, s/he would be resistant to malaria disease. Therefore the carriers dont have the sickle cell anemia disease and also they are resistant to malaria disease. The sickle cell disease gene and malaria disease gene are not advantageous characteristics on their own but because of the natural selection only one sickle cell gene is favorable. As a result, since they dont cause eachothers in any way, sickle cell anemia disease and malaria disease are in a correlation without causation.
Kaydol:
Yorumlar (Atom)