Genetic engineering is the artificial alteration of DNA – the self-replicating molecule from which genes for all living organisms are formed. The advent of this new technology has often been compared to the development of the atomic bomb. But rather than destroy life with bioweapons, genetic engineering can alter life, or even synthesise it. And rather than simply modifying the genome – the genetic make-up – of a single organism, it can change the genomes of the organism’s descendants for generations to come.
The consequences of this are almost impossible to predict, as genes are so complex. Although there are only 20,000 human genes, they all interact. Eye colour in humans, for instance, is determined by seven genes, and, even when those genes are known, you can only predict eye colour with 70 per cent certainty. Schizophrenia is thought to involve at least 100 genes acting in concert. Altering an organism’s genome is not to be undertaken lightly.
Content from our partners
