Genetic Engineering

Science has advanced, and there have been many developments in science. With new technologies and discoveries, we humans can imagine how difficult our lives would be without the existence of all these developments and discoveries by science and scientists. Genetic engineering is one such field where we can witness the growth and development of science.

Cloned humans and the production of genetically unique species may prove to be very helpful to the human race.

What is genetic engineering?

Genetic engineering is based on recombinant DNA technology. It may help to recombine and build the genetic nature of an organism. There are times when we look at two different species, and we imagine what will happen if we combine the good properties of both these species. That’s when the understanding and importance of genetic engineering become clear. Humans have manipulated many genomes. They have bred and manipulated the parents of different species to produce offspring that had the quality of both the parents. Genetic engineering works to manipulate the genes of an organism. We may often add genes from another species to an organism to include these different features in the new organism.

Uses of genetic engineering

1. Help to increase the life span.

Genetic engineering has successfully produced organisms that may have resistance to the factors that may otherwise be harmful to them. This provides them with long and healthy life and ensures that they remain free from any ailments and are protected.

2. Helps in the collection of specific traits

The desirable traits in two different organisms can be combined and included in a single organism. This helps to produce genetically stronger and better species that have the desired characteristics of both the species.

3. Allows a faster growth rate

The plants and animals produced by genetic engineering can be grown faster. They may not take much time as compared to the natural species. With genetic engineering, the offspring can grow and mature under certain conditions that promote growth and development.

4. Antivenom

Earlier, scientists used to inject venom inside the human body and extract the antibodies. This formed against this genome and produced an immune response in the human body. This may be very helpful as the long process and difficulty may be avoided, and easy antivenom production may be done.

Examples of genetic engineering

1. Pesticide resistant plant

Spraying pesticides in a crop field is essential to promote healthy growth and protect it from getting harmed. However, spraying pesticides may be harmful to the plant’s general health. Therefore, the production of pesticide-resistant plants may provide us with an opportunity to protect these plants from insects and pesticides.

2. Human cloning

Scientists are trying to combine human DNA and produce human clones that may work, walk and talk like humans. Not just this, they are also trying to use it for cloning animals such as the sheep, which may prove to be useful in the near future.

3. Faster growing Salmon

Salmon hold great economic importance. However, it’s not feasible for salmon to produce growth hormones throughout the year. Scientists looked into the problem and came up with a solution. Scientists were able to produce salmon that grew and developed at twice the speed of the original salmon.

4. Human growth hormone

Scientists have been studying the pattern of human growth and the various factors that may be a hurdle to human growth. On performing more research, scientists were able to develop human growth hormones. This can be very useful for those who have a growth hormone deficiency in them.

Conclusion

Genetic engineering has been in use for a long period. People have been using this for years and have been able to produce many useful things with the help of recombinant DNA. The offspring produced with recombinant DNA technology is done to combine the desirable traits of two individual species. From human insulin to monoclonal antibodies as well as cloned humans, genetic engineering has been successful in producing many recombinant materials that have proved to be very helpful for humans.