{Note: This post is #5 in a series of 12 where I review what Scientific American magazine has called the “12 Events That Will Change Everything”. See previous posts “Nuclear Exchange”, “Extra Terrestrial Intelligence”, “Extra Dimensions”, “Polar Meltdown” and “False Dichotomy” for more information.}
The Event: Scientists will be able to manipulate genetic material to create entirely new life forms. Science has essentially given up on creating life from scratch (as they tried to do in 1952 with the Miller-Urey experiments), and instead they have shifted their focus to using existing living organisms and modifying them to do things they never did before.
The Impact: This type of work could result in some very beneficial new organisms such as plants that remove pollution from the air or water, or vegetables that can withstand dry periods, or trees that produce fruit that contains all the essential vitamins and nutrients we need to survive, or tissue cells that can re-grow missing organs. But there is a dark side to this work as well. These modified organisms could have adverse side effects and be difficult to control if they “get loose”.
The Science: The science of manipulating life has been around for a long time. Cross-breeding plants and animals to create hybrids has been very common for quite a while, although most people consider this to be a “natural” way of developing new species. Genetic engineering (manipulating DNA) has been around for over 30 years, and in 1982 bacteria was modified to produce human insulin and today the vast majority of insulin used today is “biosynthetic”. To date, most genetic engineering has focused on micro-organisms (such as bacteria) and plants. Lately, science has been moving forward on using these same techniques on animals and humans.
Jac’s Analysis: I agree with Scientific American magazine that this event will most certainly occur. Human gene therapy is already a relatively common practice and medical science is busy worldwide trying to manipulate various cells so we can start to re-grow damaged organs or even missing limbs. We have already seen some positive impacts from this type of work through gene therapy and the supply of insulin. As science continues to learn more about DNA and how it works, they will be able to do even more than we can imagine.
Our Reaction? This type of research and scientific progress is fascinating, but does start to encroach on boundaries we should not cross. Most people within the scientific community voluntarily agree to a moral standard whereby they don’t plan to venture into the realm of designer babies or deliberate mutations such as extra limbs or humans with gills. They also abide by strict protocols when doing this type of work to ensure that nothing “gets loose” and wrecks havoc, like we see in movies such as “Species”, “X-men”, “Gattaca”, or the classic “Jurassic Park”. But gaining the ability to “play God” by manipulating DNA is a power we need to wield with extreme caution, which is a very compelling reason to encourage our scientifically minded Christian youth to find careers in this field so they can help steer this research away from places we ought not to go. I don’t think it is appropriate or necessary for Christians to completely oppose this type of research since it can yield some wonderful results such as our current supply of insulin. Think how great it would be if they could figure out how to re-grow damaged or diseased kidneys so we wouldn’t need dialysis or transplants, or to develop micro-organisms that could clean up oil spills in oceans, or trees that could grow in harsh conditions yet produce nutritious fruit. Yet we do need to pay attention to the direction this science is heading and be prepared to boldly speak out if they cross the line and start “playing God”.
Questions and comments?
- Do you see this research as a threat or a promise of wonderful developments?
- Do you think science has already crossed a moral line by trying to manipulate human genetics to cure diseases?
Next week we look at the engineering dream of Superconductors.
Jac
Hi Jac,
ReplyDeleteI see this type of research as a promise of wonderful developments. There have been so many helpful developments, like vaccines, medications, clean water, etc. However, I do agree that we need to be very careful about which lines are crossed. Having been in the research world, I'd say 95% of labs are focussed on making a positive impact on human life rather than trying to "play God". More Christians need to be trained as scientists, to learn scientific language and to develop their careers to a respectable level so that other scientists will even hear what they have to say about God and His creation. This will help keep us on the right side of those moral lines.
I've enjoyed reading this series. Thanks for all the research you have done.
Ashley