Essay on Modifications of Science free essay sample

They are directed to improve several aspects of people’s life, especially as regards health and nutrition of the world. On the other hand, they are also very polemic, as many controversial ideas are taken into account, such as the manipulation of human lives thanks to technology techniques, reasons why sometimes they are considered to be bane. But it is important to realize that if these scientific advances ever become a bane, is not the fault of science but our failing. It’s impossible since it is deeply immersed in many aspects of our daily lives, providing us with a huge variety of discoveries, tools and means to greater comfort and benefits. As it is widely known, science is constantly evolutioning, making possible for mankind to obtain more than what Nature gives us, and this is accomplished through processes such as organ transplants, therapeutic cloning, reprogenetics and genetically modified food. But these developments in science often tend to be controversial because many times they are thought to be a bane rather than a boon. Nevertheless, through this essay we will see that these advances in science are definitely a boon since they not only contribute to lifespan extension but also provide us with a wide range of benefits. One issue worth to consider is organ transplant. It consists on removing a whole usable organ or a part of it from a living or cadaveric donor, to give it to a person who needs it to replace a damaged organ. This revolutionary scientific breakthrough, first successfully achieved in the early 1950s, is enormously beneficial to thousands of patients that have a particular organ failing. Kidney failure, heart failure, lung disease and cirrhosis of the liver are all conditions that can be treated effectively by a transplant. This greatest achievement of modern surgery gives people who suffer from the illness that come from the previously stated organs a chance to live longer than expected. Besides providing ill people with a new lease on life, transplants replace long, uncomfortable and sometimes painful treatments. According to Leslie Davis, a dialysis social worker â€Å"with a transplant, there is a win win situation†. She states that people spend less money, feel better and can even get back to work. So due to all that, and its relatively safeness and routines procedures, transplantation is considered to be in many cases the best treatment. Unfortunately, as Ronal Munson clarifies in his book â€Å"Raising the Dead† organ transplants do not make the illness disappear since the recipient have to take anti-rejection drugs to fight possible infections, but still it is the most reliable thing to do until something more permanent like cloning is accepted. As it was already mentioned, cloning humans for transplanting to human’s bodies is another benefit that science bestows on humans beings. Though it is not yet allowed, this process called Therapeutic Cloning could provide mankind a solution to transplant rejection and organ shortage, ensuring more comfort and lifespan extension. To perform it, scientists have to get a small tissue out from the person’s organ inside their body and clone it. In this way, the tissue becomes an organ that is the same as the original one. Subsequent to cloning, scientists transplant the cloned organ inside the patient’s body and the body hopefully will operate normally like it used to, before any damage was caused to the original organ. Scientists believe that the cloning organ operation is safer than the conventional one (where the transplanted organ comes from another person) owing to the fact that the organ might be not suitable to the recipient’s body in terms of blood type, and even a DNA or organ rejection might occur. Not only would therapeutic cloning be useful to create organs that are a perfect match for those in need of a transplant but it also would provide an unlimited source of organs to anyone who needs them. The waiting list for donated organs today is over 97,000 people. Each day about 74 people get the organ transplant that gives them a second chance, while 17 or more die waiting for a donated organ since many people do not believe that they should donate theirs to anyone after they die. By cloning healthy organ cells and putting them in the areas of the organs that have been damaged, it is believed this shortage issue would not be a problem anymore. Reprogenetics is another controversial advance in science and yet its implementation would mean a real boon to our society. It has to do with the merging of reproductive and genetic technologies that are expected to happen in a near future, such as genetically modified humans. It is highly related to cloning, and it will allow infertile couples who cannot conceive to have their own children. This process is done by putting DNA from men whom the women desire to have children with, into the women’s fetus. Furthermore, with this technology, women can also ask scientists to create their own children with certain characteristics. For instance, they can request to â€Å"design† their babies in vision and hearing, great intelligence, or even create a supermodel’s body, therefore many infertile people will be able to achieve their dream to have children with their own bodies. Besides that, it could also be possible to guarantee that they can clone a healthy baby who is free from the risks of genetic diseases. For example, diseases that are caused by genes such as, down-syndrome, diabetes, mental illness, cancer, and more could be eliminated through this process. As a result, human races will have longer expectation in life than before. Genetically modified food is another topic that can not be left aside in view of the fact that it is very advantageous to human beings. This particular kind of food is produced from genetically modified organisms that have had their genome altered through genetic engineering. This process begins by taking the DNA from one organism, and before inserting it into another organism’s genome, it is modified in a laboratory. As a result, not only are the genetically modified crops resistant to pests, but they also grow significantly faster than regular ones. In other words, it does not demand the application of chemical pesticides because the very crops are designed to resist the insect pests. In the same way, they grow outstandingly faster, ensuring more production in less time. In addition, these crops are very precise, that is to say that they demand effort to obtain the desirable product, and there are no unwanted genes. Taking that into consideration, if we reflect on current issues such as the hard weather conditions of places like Africa and the malnutrition problem in third world countries, there is no doubt that this technique carries with it the solution to those specific problems. Proponents claim that if existing crops are modified, they would grow under hostile conditions providing needed food to the inhabitants, allowing the productions to be much more successful and permitting cultivation in places where normally would not be possible to do it. In conclusion, there is no doubt that all these appealing topics mentioned above are truly beneficial to mankind because they mean a boon to our society in views of comfort and lifespan extension. They are directed to improve several aspects of people’s life, especially as regards health and nutrition of the world. On the other hand, they are also very polemic, as many controversial ideas are taken into account, such as the manipulation of human lives thanks to technology techniques, reasons why sometimes they are considered to be bane. But it is important to realize that if these scientific advances ever become a bane, is not the fault of science but our failing.