Genetic Engineering Past, Present and Future
So, in Part 1: Quest for the Code we watched as man strove to understand the natural world and the plants and animals in it. Slowly they uncovered layer after layer until they arrived at the very building blocks of life. we saw them study the very minutest of organisms unraveling their functions and documenting their advancements.
In Part 2: Reverse Engineering we saw the foundation of the past century give birth to brand new fields of science in which researchers began to utilize the natural functions of these microorganisms to their own end and then to replicate them synthetically. As knowledge increased we saw the ambition of experiments follow and soon brand new organisms could be patented and sold for recreational or scientific purposes. The past, the present, but what of the future? That is the subject of this article, enjoy.
Source Image
Source Image
Transgenic VS Natural Salmon
China has taken nutrient fortified food to the next level. Golden Rice in 2000 contained Beta Carotene, In 2005 scentists increased the beta carotene output 22 fold and this year Chinese scientists have developed Purple Rice which produces high levels of antioxidants. In 2015 China announced creation of genetically altered human embryos which is only a short step away from one of the biggest fears of GMO technology: "Designer Babies" This could very well be the door that leads to a future envisioned by Transhumanists. The possibilites are at once terrifying and fascinating, it truly is a two-sided coin, on the one side the ability to prolong life, to improve it and on the other the sinister consequences of its misuse.
Links
Salmon, First GM animal to market: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/09/salmon-becomes-worlds-first-genetically-modified-animal-to-enter-food-supply.html
Purple Rice: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674205217301405
Congratulations @sevenstonesgfx! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Award for the number of upvotes received
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOP
This is a subject I know very little about and I am looking forward to learning from you!
Thank you for your work, I invite you to evaluate my work.
Hello, MAP21 has started! please go to "Six of the Best" MAP21 Minnow Contest [Vote Now - Win Upvotes]. Please look at the suggestions for all participants, especially creating a comment showcasing your best recent work. Good luck!
And don't forget, you can get further inspiration and assistance at the MAP Members Only Discord chatroom.