By Sally Sanderson

Since the dawn of human conscience, mankind has studied our world to
determine where we come from, why we?re here and how our world came to be.

Many theories of how life originated have been passed down through
generations of thought, though only within the last few centuries have we
really made headway in understanding our earth scientifically. Prior to the
1800s, most people had no idea about earth?s history (many were under the
impression the earth was only 4,000 years old, according to biblical theory)
nor about the intricacies of the relationships of its inhabitants. Humans
continue to push the threshold of science in hopes of finding answers to the
elusive questions of how?and why?we?re here. And yet, without completely
understanding our world and the natural order of how things are ?run,? we
seem to want to change our world to satisfy our needs and wants.

Genetic modification, a seemingly new scientific phenomenon and a fairly
controversial subject, is a process that disrupts or manipulates an organism?s
genes and is most widely used in agriculture to alter crops for better
growth rates and a wider variety of growing conditions. According to
wikipedia.com, modification of genes occurs during traditional breeding,
though indirectly. This differs from genetic modification because the latter
includes using ?the techniques of molecular cloning and transformation to
alter the structure and characteristics of genes directly? (wikipedia.com).
Thus, genes aren?t modified by the usual means of mutation and variation but
are specifically sought out for a specific purpose or outcome.

Genetic modification is used in heavily in agriculture, but is also used to
experiment with animals to gain a better understanding of the way in which
genetics work, as well as possible treatments for illness. This subject,
like many, others in the science realm often runs into a dilemma where
ethics is concerned. Organizations advocating the ill use of animals and the
ill use of our environment are often battling those researchers who believe
genetic modification may be beneficial to our world.

This point is most interesting because mankind has been genetically
modifying our environments for centuries. Since Homosapiens neglected
nomadic behavior and settled down in permanent spots, we?ve been changing
our external environments to adhere to our needs and wants. For example, we?ve
domesticated dogs and other animals such as horses, cows and pigs, among
others. We?ve also altered crops so that they can grow in more places; the
Mayans spent many generations modifying maize to feed their people. Knowing
these facts, this question has to be asked: why so much current opposition?

It may be because we?re not genetically altering those things around us
using natural methods; we have more complex technology than ever before and
have a plethora of researchers examining the ways and means of how we live.
Whatever the reason and despite the drawbacks, genetic modification should
not be seen as a negative thing. As with many other endeavors of science,
moral views are often confronted with the possibility of uncovering
significant answers to the elusive questions we have been asking throughout
the ages.

www.checkbiotech.org