The Human Genome Project Essay -- Science Genetics Essays

The humanes Genome ProjectOn the brink of the 21st century, familials is paving the mode into a brave, new world where the discoveries being made forget bestow upon us tremendous powers and possibilities that are restricted only by our imaginations. more things long considered science fiction are well on their delegacy to becoming reality. Advancements made by the Human Genome Project give us the ability to alter our own destinies along with those of our descendents. However, along with the benefits of increased rig over our lives come the uncertainties Will humankind choose to draw boundaries in regards to genetic choices? Where will those boundaries be? How will this affect our future? Could our deepened fellowship of the power of genetics threaten the biodiversity essential to evolution? Would we, in essence, be playing God? One thing is certain- life, as we know it, will never be the same (Rayl, 112).Before one can shine intellectually about the benefits and uncertaintie s of genetic study, it is important to understand how we, as humankind, occupy reached this breaking point of science. The HGP began in 1990 as a 15-year project coordinate by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. It is expected to be consummate(a) by 2003, two years ahead of schedule, due to rapid expert advances. The overall goals of this project are to catalog the estimated 80,000- 100,000 genes in the human deoxyribonucleic acid and to determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical bases that make up the human DNA. This new information will then be stored in databases, as geneticists then develop tools for its analysis. Finally, the HGP is to address the ethical, legal, and social issues that may arise from the genetic research (... ...ty, must agree upon a set of rules and standards that will rate the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the final outcome of the project. Clearly, we must do it quickly.References1- Rayl, A.J.S., et al. genetic science in the New Millennium. MINNESOTA MONTHLY. Aug., 1999112- 124.2- Human Genome Project Information. Obtained 20 Oct., 1999 http//www.ornl.gov/hgmis.3- The incoming is Now. TIME mag international. 8 Feb., 1999VOL. 153 NO. 5. Obtained 20 Oct., 1999 http//www.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,20825,00.html.4- Associated Press. Unregulated gene testing can be faulty. Star Tribune. 21 Sept., 1999.5- Holtzman, Neil and Shapiro, David, et al. Genetic Testing and Public Policy. British Medical Journal. 14 March, 1998 316(7134). Obtained 17 Nov., 1999 http//www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/316/7134/852.