Verified Document

Most Significant Advancement's Term Paper

¶ … Medical Advancements in Medicine and Health Write a three-page paper on what you believe is the most significant medical advancement (s) in medicine and health and support your argument.

Genetic engineering is one of the most significant medical advancements of the century and will have a major impact on medicine, health, politics and church and state relationships.

Genetic engineering. A controversial issue or a blessing in disguise? The Human Genome Project (HGP), sponsored in the United States has created the field of genomics --understanding genetic material on a large scale.

But what actually is genetic engineering? Genetic engineering in theory, allows cells to grow in a petri dish, with the end result of creating the type of genetic alteration you want. Imagine the medical ramifications of being able to genetically create the characteristics we want in a species. Think of the benefits to mankind and the enhancements that would be made to modern medicine. In principle, the mixing of genes would occur through cloning techniques just as it does during sexual reproduction.

Contrary to scientists' expectations, the birth of Dolly shows it is possible to reprogram the cell of an adult (or at least its genome) so that it begins development all over again. This newly discovered flexibility means it may one day be possible to reprogram skin or blood cells so that they grow into "spare part" tissues and organs, rather than whole organisms. But the technical obstacles will be huge.1

Currently, because of ethical reasons, geneticists are concentrating on finding the causes of genetic diseases...

It makes it easier to meddle with human and animal genes but is not necessarily genetic improvement, by itself. Genetic engineering can be a hit or miss methodology that sometimes works.
Geneticists have wondered if cloning could be used to create a super race. Shades of Hitler or Mary Shelley's Frankenstein come to mind. In the wrong hands, who knows what kind of new species could be developed. Could genetic engineering be used to save http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/infoendangeredspecies? But ethical questions arise when genetic engineering is discussed ever since November 25, 2001, when a Massachusetts research company announced it had cloned the first human embryo. The announcement brought swift condemnation from the Vatican with the warning, "Notwithstanding the humanistic intents...this calls for a calm but resolute appraisal which shows the moral gravity of this project and calls for unequivocal condemnation."

Researchers defended the development by saying they wanted to use the cloned embryos to harvest stem cells, rather than to create babies. Many scientists believe stem cells can be used to treat a wide range of diseases, including diabetes, strokes, cancer, AIDS and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

President Bush also criticized the experiment, saying, "We should not as a society grow life to destroy it, and that's exactly what's taking place."

But genetic engineering is a powerful medical advancement that can be used to diagnose and predict disease predisposition and susceptibility. All diseases have a genetic component, whether inherited…

Sources used in this document:
Sources of Information:

Publications www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/genechoice/index.html" Your Genes, Your Choices --a downloadable booklet describing the Human Genome Project, the science behind it, and the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by the project

Books www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/hgn/v9n1/15cshl.html" Toward the 21st Century: Incorporating Genetics into Primary Health Care

Newsletters

Human Genome News --the newsletter of the HGP sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy Biological and Environmental Research Program
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Advancement in the Technology of Digital Photography
Words: 1355 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Advancement in the Technology of Digital Photography Digital Photography The subject of the paper is the advancement of the technology of digital photography. The paper will provide a concise review of the history of this aspect of photography. Film photography came first in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Moving pictures followed after the invention of film photography. Several decades later, the first attempts at digital photography were made by

Advancement of Knowledge Base the
Words: 1621 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Indeed, quantitative research is synonymous with rigorous implementation; without rigor, then quantitative studies could be considered flawed or faulty, and in effect, not credible for use or application (Van Zomeren, 2008:507). Another hallmark of quantitative research is that data and findings must be reliable -- that is, results can be repeated to a different group, population, or geographic area. While the results may not be the same, but the general

Significant Challenge Facing East Africa Economies
Words: 2034 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

economy of the East Africa area Economic growth literally involves critical issues pertaining to life and death. Roughly 1.374 billion individuals survive on lower than 1.25 dollars/day, at America's 2005 purchasing power parity (PPP). Around 2.6 billion individuals (which constitute 40% of global population) survive on lower than 2 dollars/day. These individuals struggle with poor health and malnutrition; reside in areas with poor, degraded surroundings; are social outcasts; have low

Technological Advancement and Globalization, the Demand of
Words: 2030 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

technological advancement and globalization, the demand of travelling across the borders has drastically increased. It is common among people around the world to travel from one city to another or from one country to another for leisure, business, diplomatic purposes, pilgrimage, education and meeting friends and family etc. For this reason the demand for various modes of travel has also increased over a period of time. Travellers today are very

1920-1945, Significant Expansion Reforms Higher Education. Reflect...
Words: 655 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

1920-1945, significant expansion reforms higher education. Reflect opportunities attend college women time period. Women made 40% undergraduate enrollments 1940. This remarkable women permitted earn a bachelor's degree 60 years prior 1940. Throughout history there have been a series of advocates lobbying with regard to women being provided with equal rights, but matters seemed to be different at the onset of the twentieth century. Women actually appeared to be looked at

What Is China's Role in Globalization Why Is It Significant
Words: 7994 Length: 25 Document Type: Research Paper

AFRICA'S PETROLEUM AND CHINA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT How Africa's Petroleum Supply Is Important to China's Economic Growth and Development While China continues to grow, its oil demand is poised to grow rapidly. For China to ensure its oil security, it must obtain oil from the global world because it lacks adequate domestic resources to quench the thirsty appetite of the country's rapid economic development. Any approach for growth that the country

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now