Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

The hype about genetic engineering can lead us to believethat its results are controllable and predictable. Inreality, most current forms of genetic engineering aremessy and unpredictable. Genetic engineers can inserta gene into the nucleus of a cell but with current technologythey do know whether the cell will incorporatethe new gene into its DNA. They also do not knowwhere the new gene will be located in the DNA molecule’sstructure and what effects this will have on theorganism.Thus, genetic engineering is a trial and error processwith many failures and unexpected results. Indeed,the average success rate of current genetic engineeringexperiments is only about 1%.Some people have genes that make them morelikely to develop certain genetic diseases or disorders.We now have the power to detect these genetic deficiencies,even before birth. This raises some importantissues. If gene therapy is developed for correctingthese deficiencies, who will get it? Will it be mostly forthe rich? Will this mean more abortions of geneticallydefective fetuses? Will health insurers refuse to insurepeople with certain genetic defects that could lead tohealth problems? Will employers refuse to hire them?xHOW WOULD YOU VOTE? Should genetic screeningbe required as part of an application for a job, healthinsurance, or life insurance? Cast your vote online athttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller14.Some people dream of a day when our geneticprowess could eliminate death and aging altogether.As one’s cells, organs, or other parts wear out or aredamaged, they would be replaced with new ones.These replacement parts might be grown in genetic engineeringlaboratories or biopharms. Or people mightchoose to have a clone available for spare parts. Severalcountries have banned human cloning, but the researchis taking place anyway and human clones mayappear in the not too distant future.This raises a number of questions: Is it moral to dothis? Who decides? Who regulates it? Will geneticallydesigned humans and clones have the same legalrights as other people?xHOW WOULD YOU VOTE? Should we legalize the productionof human clones if a reasonably safe technology fordoing so becomes available? Cast your vote online athttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller14.What might be the environmental impacts of suchgenetic developments on resource use, pollution, andenvironmental degradation? If everyone could livewith good health as long as they wanted for a price,sellers of body makeovers would encourage customersto line up. Each of these wealthy, long-lived peoplecould have an enormous ecological footprint for perhapscenturies.What Are Our Options? Time to MakeDecisionsThere are arguments over how much we shouldregulate genetic engineering research anddevelopment.In the 1990s, a backlash developed against the increasinguse of genetically modified food plants and animals.Some protesters are strongly against this newtechnology for a variety of reasons. Others advocateslowing down and taking a closer look at the shortandlong-term advantages and disadvantages of thisand other rapidly emerging genetic technologies.Or at the very least, they say, we should requirethat all genetically modified crops and animal productsand foods containing such components be clearlylabeled as such. This would give consumers a more informedchoice, as do the food labels that now requirelisting ingredients and nutritional information. Makersof genetically modified products strongly opposesuch labeling (as food manufacturers opposed theother types of food labeling now in use) because theyfear it would hurt sales.Supporters of genetic engineering wonder whythere is so much concern. After all, we have been geneticallymodifying plants and animals for centuries.Now we have a faster, better, and perhaps cheaperway to do it, so why not use it?But proponents of more careful control of geneticengineering point out that most new technologies havehad unintended harmful consequences (Figure 3-4,p. 38). The ecological lesson is that whenever we intervenein nature we must pause and ask, “What happensnext?” This is why many analysts are cautious aboutrushing into genetic engineering and other forms ofbiotechnology without more careful evaluation of possibleunintended consequences.xHOW WOULD YOU VOTE? Should there be stricter governmentcontrol over the development and use of genetic engineeringtechnology? Cast your vote online at http://biology.brookscole.com/miller14.How Did We Become Such a PowerfulSpecies So Quickly? Brain and ThumbPowerWe have thrived as a species mostly because of ourcomplex brains and strong opposable thumbs.Like other species, we have survived and thrived so farbecause we have certain adaptive traits. What are they?First, look at the traits we do not have. We lack exceptionalstrength, speed, and agility. We do not haveweapons such as claws or fangs, and we lack a protectiveshell or body armor.Our senses are unremarkable. We see only visiblelight—a tiny fraction of the spectrum of electromagneticradiation that bathes the earth. We cannot seehttp://biology.brookscole.com/miller1499