The document discusses several topics related to genetics and genetic modification:
1. It explains basic principles of genetics such as traits being inherited from parents, dominant and recessive traits, and using pedigrees.
2. It discusses the Human Genome Project and some ethical, legal, and social issues around genetic information and testing.
3. It describes genetic disorders like hemophilia and Down syndrome, and the role of genetic counseling.
4. It presents arguments for and against genetically modifying foods, touching on issues like allergies, environmental effects, and crop failures.
In looking at the pros and cons of genetic engineering, we have to consider the technology in the fields of agriculture, food production, and medicine. Many crops such as rice, maize, and potatoes are being genetically engineered in several ways.
Manticore Group, MT. Reviewed searchable online documents on the lethality research on GMOs. These were the ones of value found at time of the review on the subject. A notorious Oregon Lab report originally the subject of the review was not discover-able online at this time that referenced lab work commissioned by Russian interests in Oregon on the subject.
Killing one day-old male chicks, do we have alternatives (summery)-1Harm Kiezebrink
Throughout the world, male chicks from layer breeds are killed just after hatching, as they are not profitable as regards the production of meat. The Dutch and European parliaments have insisted on research into possible alternatives to the killing of day-old chicks. In the present study we have investigated Dutch public opinion on the acceptability of these alternatives by means of discussions in so- called focus groups and via a public survey through computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI).
To inform the participants about the subject, a film was made to explain the current practice and introduce a number of technological alternatives that would prevent development of male embryos, as well as the possibility of creating a ‘dual-purpose chicken’ that would allow male chicks to be used for meat production.
The topics addressed in the study included the willingness of participants to pay a premium for eggs and chicken meat, were it necessary to prevent killing of male chicks. Focus-group discussions showed that many participants were unaware of the current practice of killing male chicks, and were shocked by this practice.
However, once informed, the participants seemed able to take various considerations into account and rank the alternatives. The alternatives ‘looking into the fresh egg (to determine sex of the egg and not incubate male eggs)’, and ‘dual-purpose chickens’ scored best out of all the possible alternatives, and higher than maintaining the current practice. ‘Influencing the laying hens such that they produce fewer male eggs’ scored the same as maintaining the current practice.
The use of ‘genetic modification to facilitate looking into the fresh egg’ scored only slightly lower than maintaining the current practice. Alternatives whereby developing male embryos die, or are killed, scored lower than maintaining the current practice.
Genetic selection as a cause for an ethical dilemmaHarm Kiezebrink
In commercial egg production, male chicks are killed immediately after hatch as they are not profitable for meat production. Some of them are utilised as feed for zoo or pet animals, or snack for humans, but they do not have a life of significance. In many countries people have objections against this practice.
The origin of this problem is the development and use of specialised breeds for specific purposes, to obtain increased production efficiency and low-priced animal products. Specialization can overcome the opposite requirements for high efficiency in the production of meat and eggs (milk), respectively. For efficient meat production, a high growth rate is essential. In contrast, for efficient production of eggs or milk, low animal maintenance costs, i.e. a high production rate per kg body mass, is most important. This dichotomy is most clearly seen in modern industrialized poultry production.
Egg type males require 3 times more time and 2-4 times more feed than meat type birds to reach an acceptable slaughter weight, while meat type hens require much feed for growth and maintenance which makes them inefficient for egg production. Selection of layer type birds for improved growth rate could make it more attractive to rear the males for meat production, but would strongly compromise efficiency of egg production by the females.
A similar situation, albeit less extreme (for now?) can be found in dairy goats and cattle. Male offspring of dairy goat and some typical dairy cattle breeds do not have an economic value for meat production and may be killed at birth. In terms of economics, resource efficiency, or animal welfare (provided killing is carried out in a humane way), this may not be a problem but ethically it is. We discuss this ethical dilemma and explore technological and niche market alternatives as possible solutions.
In looking at the pros and cons of genetic engineering, we have to consider the technology in the fields of agriculture, food production, and medicine. Many crops such as rice, maize, and potatoes are being genetically engineered in several ways.
Manticore Group, MT. Reviewed searchable online documents on the lethality research on GMOs. These were the ones of value found at time of the review on the subject. A notorious Oregon Lab report originally the subject of the review was not discover-able online at this time that referenced lab work commissioned by Russian interests in Oregon on the subject.
Killing one day-old male chicks, do we have alternatives (summery)-1Harm Kiezebrink
Throughout the world, male chicks from layer breeds are killed just after hatching, as they are not profitable as regards the production of meat. The Dutch and European parliaments have insisted on research into possible alternatives to the killing of day-old chicks. In the present study we have investigated Dutch public opinion on the acceptability of these alternatives by means of discussions in so- called focus groups and via a public survey through computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI).
To inform the participants about the subject, a film was made to explain the current practice and introduce a number of technological alternatives that would prevent development of male embryos, as well as the possibility of creating a ‘dual-purpose chicken’ that would allow male chicks to be used for meat production.
The topics addressed in the study included the willingness of participants to pay a premium for eggs and chicken meat, were it necessary to prevent killing of male chicks. Focus-group discussions showed that many participants were unaware of the current practice of killing male chicks, and were shocked by this practice.
However, once informed, the participants seemed able to take various considerations into account and rank the alternatives. The alternatives ‘looking into the fresh egg (to determine sex of the egg and not incubate male eggs)’, and ‘dual-purpose chickens’ scored best out of all the possible alternatives, and higher than maintaining the current practice. ‘Influencing the laying hens such that they produce fewer male eggs’ scored the same as maintaining the current practice.
The use of ‘genetic modification to facilitate looking into the fresh egg’ scored only slightly lower than maintaining the current practice. Alternatives whereby developing male embryos die, or are killed, scored lower than maintaining the current practice.
Genetic selection as a cause for an ethical dilemmaHarm Kiezebrink
In commercial egg production, male chicks are killed immediately after hatch as they are not profitable for meat production. Some of them are utilised as feed for zoo or pet animals, or snack for humans, but they do not have a life of significance. In many countries people have objections against this practice.
The origin of this problem is the development and use of specialised breeds for specific purposes, to obtain increased production efficiency and low-priced animal products. Specialization can overcome the opposite requirements for high efficiency in the production of meat and eggs (milk), respectively. For efficient meat production, a high growth rate is essential. In contrast, for efficient production of eggs or milk, low animal maintenance costs, i.e. a high production rate per kg body mass, is most important. This dichotomy is most clearly seen in modern industrialized poultry production.
Egg type males require 3 times more time and 2-4 times more feed than meat type birds to reach an acceptable slaughter weight, while meat type hens require much feed for growth and maintenance which makes them inefficient for egg production. Selection of layer type birds for improved growth rate could make it more attractive to rear the males for meat production, but would strongly compromise efficiency of egg production by the females.
A similar situation, albeit less extreme (for now?) can be found in dairy goats and cattle. Male offspring of dairy goat and some typical dairy cattle breeds do not have an economic value for meat production and may be killed at birth. In terms of economics, resource efficiency, or animal welfare (provided killing is carried out in a humane way), this may not be a problem but ethically it is. We discuss this ethical dilemma and explore technological and niche market alternatives as possible solutions.
2. Basic Principles of Genetics Traits come from your parent’s traits. Your parent could have either a dominant or recessive trait. If you have a recessive allele, ad there is also a dominant in place, the dominant will show. If you have a recessive trait and a dominant trait then you are heterozygous. To find out if you are, you can use a pedigree. Traits with co-dominant alleles are mixed. If a chicken has brown feathers, and another has white feathers and their both co-dominant, then the offspring will have black and white feathers. If one parent has a dominant trait and one has a recessive trait, then the child will have that trait. If they have a recessive trait in place. But if a parent is heterozygous dominant, and the other parent is recessive, there is a possibility that the child will have that recessive trait.
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4. Genetic Disorder Hemophilia is a sex-linked disorder which means more males get it than females. In Hemophilia the proteins needed to clot blood are not produced. A person could bleed to death just by scraping their knee on the sidewalk. People with this disorder have to take pills with the clotting proteins. Chromosome abnormalities occur when sex cells form during meiosis or the parent already has a mutation in a cell. Down syndrome is caused by a chromosome abnormality because there is an extra copy of chromosome 21. The extra chromosome causes other chromosomes to fail to separate during meiosis which mess up the sex cells to create a child. Genetic counseling can help perspective parents who have a genetic disorder regarding future children because the parents will see what it is like to parent a child with a genetic disorder and they will see the chances of having a child with a genetic disorder. If they do have a child with a genetic disorder then a karyotype could help fix the disorder.
5. Argument 1 I think it is wrong to genetically modify foods such as sugar cane, corn, potatoes, strawberries, soy beans, etc. Also 60%-70% of all foods are genetically modified. This can also effect people with allergies. For example, people are mixing tomatoes with peanuts, so it could trigger some peanut allergies.
6. Argument 2 Economic Concerns are another big deal. There is a concern that patenting new types of plants will cause the price to rise and small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford these crops Some argue that in order to combat possible patent infringement there needs to be the creation of a “suicide gene,” which would allow plants to grow for only one season. However, this would force farmers to buy new seeds each year and would be a financial hardship on them.
7. Argument 3 Although for some people genetic modification is a breakthrough in scientific history some people think of it as playing God and trying to control every human. I don’t think we should use genetic modification because many dangerous things could come from it. Such as, a doctor accidentally creating a mutation in the DNA which could lead to serious harm or even death.
8. Argument 4 If scientists use genetic modification to grow plants they would need genetically engineered seeds which would make every plant and crop be the exact same so if a virus or pest attacks this crop then every crop after that will die and have the same virus or pest which could cause widespread crop failure.
9. Conclusion There are many different ways of genetically modifying foods to make completely different ones. This can have serious side effects such as allergies, effects on the surroundings of the environment, and effects on organisms exposed to these different kinds of foods.
10. Works Cited "America’s Silent Killing Fields « Speak Truth 2 Power." Speak Truth 2 Power. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <https://spktruth2power.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/americas-silent-killing-fields/>. "Genetically Engineered Foods: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002432.htm. Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?" CSA. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php. "Prince Charles in Battle with Ministers over 'cynical' Attempts to Push GM Food as the Solution to World Hunger | Mail Online." Home | Mail Online. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1044146/Prince-Charles-battle-ministers-cynical-attempts-push-GM-food-solution-world-hunger.html>. "The Effects of Genetically Modified Foods." Global Healing Center Health Products & Information. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/genetically-modified-foods.html. "Where Are We Headed?" My Porfolio. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://gabybermudez.edublogs.org/where-are-we-headed/>. "You Are Eating GMOs, Should You Care? – Planetsave.com: Climate Change and Environmental News." Planetsave.com: Climate Change and Environmental News. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. <http://planetsave.com/2008/02/08/you-are-eating-gmos-should-you-care/>.