Although human beings have been involved in choosing and preferentially-breeding certain desired characteristics naturally expressed by plants and animals (and even their own species) for many thousands of years, the scientific identification of the biological processes behind this phenomenon-of-inheritance was realized only a few decades ago.

Contemporary practices in the field of Genetic Engineering have not only made it possible to scrutinize desirable gene sequences on a molecular level, but also to insert them directly (and not through cumbersome cycles of cross & interbreeding) into host cells to achieve immediate & overt expressions.

A typical new-age scenario which incorporates the regular usage of gene splicing, replicating & insertion techniques would be that of farmers employing GM seeds and high-production cows in their daily agricultural activities.

Genetically altered seeds can be used to grow entire fields of plants that yield produce with certain beneficial traits in large numbers (when contrasted with their regular embryonic counterparts).

A tomato harvest produced in this way, for instance, might equip its growers with more high-quality variants of the said vegetable that may prove to be significantly more durable, tasteful, colorful and/or pesticide-resistant in the long run. Similarly, genetically-modified cow populations can drastically increase milk production, and provide an entire range of favorable nutrients largely in excess of those found in untreated samples of the same product. With an Optimum Internet connection, many more such examples can be studied in detail. 

But in order to ascertain the future scope of genetic engineering (which is the prime motivation behind this post), it is first necessary to briefly understand what a typical lab/industrial modification process entails. By understanding the fundamental tenets behind this applicative technology, you can then pretty much contemplate the many different applications of genetic modification on your own.

Nowadays, the bulk of higher secondary school curriculums and biology elective courses in college contain good introductions to this discipline, but a more thorough understanding might be required to gain a working idea of how the field converges with practical reality to enable its more radical advantages into manifesting themselves.

With its first successful runs in the early 70s, Gene Technology has evolved into an important sub-discipline of genetic engineering. After geneticists identify a desirable gene sequence (codon) within the primary DNA or RNA molecule of a selected organism, this portion of the genome is meticulously spliced with the help of certain enzyme molecules. Once extracted, the gene sequence is added either directly or through a vector molecule (plasmids) into the host organism’s nucleotide molecule, where it begins to express itself through the normal protein synthesis pathway.   

Using this principle, geneticists have been able to synthesize a large number of beneficial substances; many of which provide several crucial health & treatment benefits.

The industrial manufacture of the hormone insulin with the aid of genetically-modified strains of bacteria has initiated a global reversal in the tide of type-2 diabetes – saving the lives of countless patients in its wake. A similar breakthrough has accrued in the field of oncology (cancer medicine), where gene therapy is currently being used in several research trials for targeting malignant tumor tissues on the sub-cellular level – in an attempt to nip the disease in its bud.

A promising new anti-asthma treatment regimen uses specific gene sequences carried by virus cells into the host’s bronchial tissues. Once inside, these tissues divide through normal cell-division cycles; carrying resistance to a range of allergens that would otherwise have provoked an asthma attack in the patient.

Ever since the inception of the domain of genetic engineering, many critics (who hail not only from the theological community) have levelled their anxieties and disappointments at this newly emerging field.

Some of these stem from concerns that fellow scientists may have with respect to the environmental implications of gene technology. No one can adequately predict the impact that genetically modified organisms and products might eventually have on the global ecosystem. Many religious authorities make sense of this issue in another way, and liken geneticists to unwise and hasty ‘adulterers’ attempting to meddle in the creation of God – an exercise that is likely to beget more consequent harm (in their opinion) than good.

Some countries have even attempted to introduce entire legislations on religious grounds, with many conservatives in the United States generally supporting such measures on account of their beliefs.  

An initial case of crop forestation (where several of the leading geneticists of the time attempted to cultivate entire patches of a tomato plantation using GM seedlings) was met with heated rhetoric – and actual physical rioting and stampeding – in an attempt to dissuade its researchers from carrying on with their experiments further. Cases of animal modification (not to mention human genetic alteration) have met with even more fierce resistance from the same parties, who continue to protest these rounds with ever-renewed vigor still.

Despite the ethical implication of gene technology, the future seems bright as far as scientific research & innovation within the discipline are concerned. With the current pace of progress in the field, geneticists might soon find newer ways to introduce novel gene sequences into host cells – and control their expressions more efficiently. They could choose to implant an entirely new generation of children with certain super-human traits that could equip them with better health and functionality markers than their earlier predecessors, allowing them to attain a natural resistance to many illnesses at birth, and to become more efficient economic agents once they grow up. A new breed of Homo sapiens (not very unlike the musings contained within many science-fiction works) might make its way onto the civilizational stage.

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