Bio-ethics and Genetic Engineering essays

Bio-ethics and Genetic Engineering essays It is my belief that genetic engineering has promise to better mankind, and it is our ethical obligation to research it but not exploit it. There is a need to have a morally correct legislation that guides the way science develops this. The Random House Websters College Dictionary defines bioethics as a field of study and counsel concerned with the implications of certain medical procedures, genetic engineering, and care of the terminally ill. I will be exploring and commenting on how bioethics relates to genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a branch of biology dealing with the splicing and recombining of genetic units from living organisms, according to Websters New World Dictionary. I will look at bioethics from the point of view of personal privacy, societal effects, religious concerns, medicinal benefits and legislation. The topic of genetic engineering stirs up debates, as it is a controversial area with enormous potential for both good and bad in our society. Genetically prepared drugs have already helped tremendously, in the treament various diseases. Biogenetically prepared vaccines and insulin have already proven their benefit medicine. Other genetically engineered drugs are waiting Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval. However, critics claim that it will cause more harm than good. Many theologians believe that genetic engineering, should not be investigated at all, they feel Mother Nature knows best and any tampering with genetic material is evil. The primary reason why theologians argue that genetic engineering is unethical is because it defies all that has been described in the story of creation in the bible and other religious texts. However, it is my belief that genetic engineering has promise to better mankind, and it is our ethical obligation to research it but not exploit it. There is a need to have a morally correct legislation that guides the way science develops this (Toward E01.) I...

Cell Structure And Function Essays - Biology, Cell Biology, Anatomy

Cell Structure And Function Essays - Biology, Cell Biology, Anatomy Cell Structure And Function CELL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION All living things are made of the same basic building blocks, cells. A human is made of 65 trillion cells. Cells are everywhere, on you skin, in your blood, and even on your tongue. In fact, your blood is clear but red blood cells are what make your blood red. Most living things are made up of many cells but some are made of only one cell, like amebas, paramecium, fungi, protists, monerans, and bacteria. There are two basic types of cells, animal cells and plant cells. They have some common parts found in both and other parts that are unique to each. A cell membrane is found in both plant and animal cells. It is the structure that surrounds the cell and protects it. Plant cells have a cell wall, a rigid structure surrounding the cell membrane. Animal cells do not have a cell wall. Cytoplasm is the thick, jelly-like substance that makes up most of the cell. Vacuoles are fluid filled sacs in the cell. The vacuoles contain stored water or food that will be used by the cell. Cells also contain other small organs called organelles that carryout various cell functions. And then there is the control center of the cell, the nucleus, surrounded by a protective outer covering call the nuclear membrane. The nucleus contains the DNA, or chromosomes, that carries all the instructions on how a cell will function, live, and reproduce. Every cell needs to energy to live and reproduce. Plant and animal cells obtain energy in different ways. Animals can not make their own food. They obtain energy by taking in food, water, and oxygen and converting it to sugar. Sugar is the only food a cell can eat. Plant cells can make their own food from water and sunlight. This process is called photosynthesis. Both plant and animal cells use energy from the food they obtain to reproduce. All living things produce more living things. Cell reproduction is called mitosis. Mitosis is the process of a single cell dividing in two and then two more and so on. In mitosis, the pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus of the parent cell divide into two daughter cells. There are four phases of mitosis. In the first phase, the chromosomes are in a tangle and the nuclear membrane dissolves, or breaks apart. In the second phase, special fibers line up the chromosomal pairs. In the third phase, the fibers pull the pairs apart to opposite ends of the nucleus. In the final phase, the parent cell splits in two, creating two completely new daughter cells exactly like the parent cell. The two daughter cells will grow and eventually the process of mitosis will start again in each one. This is how all living things grow and continue. In closing, it is important to remember that all living things are made up of cells. Some have only one cell while others have very complicated systems of many cells working together. Second, plant and animal cells take in food, water, and oxygen in very different ways, but both need these substances to make the energy needed to live, grow, and reproduce. Finally, every cell passes on their DNA to future generations through the process of mitosis. The DNA, in both plant and animal cells, contains all the instructions needed for cell to grow and function.