Do you think that scientists are trying to play god by inventing Genetically Modified Foods?
343014
People have been manipulating the genetic makeup of all kinds of species for a long time.  Until recently, they have had to make do with regular sexual reproduction to breed into a species the qualities they value.  Lately, they can alter the genes in a lab.\n\nThis has good consequences, and could have bad ones.  But it is not different from what they have always done.\n\nWhy does no one complain people are playing god when they change the course of rivers to suit themselves, drain swamps to get rid of disease carrying bugs or to build condos on, and so on.\n\nRecently, science has genetically engineered a strain of rice that makes Vitamin A for use in South Asia, particularly India, because there is so little of the vitamin in people's diet that children are being born blind.\nI don't think any god would mind, really, do you?
32052
What then is biotechnology? The term brings to mind many different things. Some think of developing new types of animals. Others dream of almost unlimited sources of human therapeutic drugs. Still others envision the possibility of growing crops that are more nutritious and naturally pest-resistant to feed a rapidly growing world population. This question elicits almost as many first-thought responses as there are people to whom the question can be posed. \n\nIn its purest form, the term "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment. Prehistoric biotechnologists did this as they used yeast cells to raise bread dough and to ferment alcoholic beverages, and bacterial cells to make cheeses and yogurts and as they bred their strong, productive animals to make even stronger and more productive offspring.
147876
No, for two very simple  reasons.\n\n1) There is no such thing as "genetical engineering". There is gene technology, and there is genetic engineering. "Genetical engineering" was made up in your imagination just now. We can't produce anything with it.\n\n2) Supernatural by defintion means outside the natural order. Gene technolgy by defintion is within the natural order. The results of gene technolgy can never be outside the natural order.
1163027
It depends on the purpose the cloning is fulfilling. If we clone racehorses, we could have a bunch of Secretariats running against other Secretariats and their may be the demise of a great industry.\n\nHowever, if cloning, genetic engineering and selective reproduction have a well defined intent and the end result can benefit humankind, then let's do it. Not being a moralist, I would like to see science continue researching the distinct benefits all forms of reproduction have upon all of the species on the planet.\n\nThe protests that are being offered against artificial or any other form of selective reproduction, must be taken into consideration on a scientific basis and not offer up the old adage, "if God intended man to fly, He would have given him wings" in regards to reproduction.\n\nIn a day and age when it would be very wise to keep our religion and morals to ourselves, we should allow science to progress within reason and justification. In a nation that prides itself in a government 'of the people, by the people and for the people', I say, lets all be a part of the decision making process regarding sin and science and...\n\nGod help us toward that decision.
383688
Can be an interesting business venture once the human genome is completely understood. But I dont think it is possible at the moment.
550274
I am a genetic scientist and I think it should be done! Nobody can stop it. But the point is that building an ethical rules.
380228
Is that intellectual property rights?\n\nYou can now put patents on genes. Recently there has been much debate on patenting altered organisms. I think you need to expand upon your question though before i witter on....
280926
That refers, I believe, to genetic modification of foods.  Some people labled these as "Frankenfoods" (take off of the Frankenstein monster) to symbolize what happens when science tries to modify things.\nSomehow, they think that modified corn...which now grows twice as fast and has more nutrients in it...will harm us.  Instead of realizing that we can feed twice as many people, and feed the hungry all over the world, they just stick their fingers in their ears and become afraid of science, afraid of change.
360479
They are great for some developing countries such as those in Africa, but they have SERIOUS problems as well. Some genetically modified crops are created so they cannot reproduce (the seeds are not viable) This means the poor countries using the seed need to buy it from the company every year instead of being able to save their seed and plant the next season's crop with it like farmers have been doing for many thousands of years.\n\nI would say the group most affected by these crops is the companies like Monsanto which create them and get rich off it. \n\nThere are some cases where plants like rice have been modified to cure diseases by carrying certain vitamens like vitamen A. When people eat the rice, they get the nutrients they need and in this example blindness is prevented in some Asian countries.
1027186
GM- genetically modified\n\nthese plants have their genes altered and there are many possible mutations that can occur.  also, not much research has been done on the long term effects GM food has on our body.  Why do you think Zimbabwe and Angola rejected our maize offer? because they felt that they were the guniea pigs.  anyway, if you look at how a gene is inserted into a plant using the recombinant DNA method, it is actually very dangerous and unstable.  Scientists are making use of bacteria' plasmids to act as a truck to insert the gene.  Although viral causing genes are removed, what makes scientists so sure that they wouldn't remain, mutate and form a super bug?\n\nAlso, there are religious ethics violated, e.g. some people believe we shouldn't play God and Muslims, they cannot eat pork.  What if the pork gene was inserted into maize? and they eat the maize??? also, some people might be allergic to peanuts, if the peanut gene were to be inserted into a crop, and starts expressing itself, would the person die?
240837
there are plenty of sites on genetic engineering and i have listed one below but some things seem better with modification for instance pigs produce vast amount of phosphorous which screws up our environment with a modification they can be grown with a change in their saliva to prevent that which makes for a better greener world, we use plastic surgery to make changes for the better, some things need the change.
486895
invent what?  a better way to grow food?  a better way to preserve it?  a perfectly nutritionally balanced meal that can be shipped to other places?  a way to stop power-hungry governments from killing people and driving them off their land?  a way to make self-centered people in well-off places stop and think about the fact that 140,000 people die of hunger every day, while they waste food by the ton?  There are many people and groups, from scientific communities to social and political groups, trying to do exactly these things.  if you want to help, I'd suggest you look at them and see where you can put a hand in.  If you have a cool idea for an invention, talk to them about how to develop it and where it would be best used.
718994
I just don't see that great a need to appease science.\n\nScience is supposed to be what we know.  Not what creative thing we can come up with.  Show me something that crossed the line of species and was an IMPROVEMENT, and could reproduce after it's kind (not man cross-breeding species to come up with some infertile something), and we'll talk.\n\nScience doesn't know it can happen because in all of recorded history we've not seen it happen.\n\nI'm not going to doubt God because some man thinks he knows better.  Or even because it's just not the intellectual thing to do.  Or because people make fun of what I believe.\n\nI'm not afraid of science.  I think all honest science (things we actually know) do not conflict with the Bible.  Most theories do.  But they're just theories.  \n\nIf I'm putting my faith in something or Someone, it's going to be God.
286045
GMO's are all over the place. Usually people mean genetically modified food when they talk about GMO's.\n\nDepending where you live, your common fruits and veggies may be modified.  Some countries require the producer to note that on a product's label, some don't.  \n\nHere are some common and interesting/creepy examples:\n\nCorn on the cob: All the modern varieties (such as "peaches and cream") have a "sugar gene" spliced into their code to make them sweeter. Seems harmless enough.\n\nMonsanto (an "evil" company) genetically engineered corn such that it's pollen would be it's own pesticide and kill off invading bugs. Unfortunately, this killed off monarch butterflies and is a significant cause to their decline. Of course, this pollen then pollenated "natural" corn crops on neighbouring fields, so there was some unintentional spreading of genetically engineered traits. (Monsanto later sued the local farmers for "stealing" their crops (which are patent protected) when their plants began showing monsanto traits.\n\nAnother example is splicing a pig's skin gene into tomatoes (apparently to give it a nicer skin)... resulting in outcry around the world: "Is it a vegetable? Is it Kosher? How long have I been eating this (since it isnt marked in the grocery store)? What is my Rabbi going to say?"\n\nSilkworm genes have also made their way into food plants.\n\nSome might say GMO's are the same as what we have been doing over the milennia - selecting the best crops over time and in so doing enhancing these traits.  For instance, going back to corn, a cob of corn used to be the size of baby corn.  It was grown by the indigenous people of the americas, and over time, grew in size.  Simply because they took the seeds from the good crops of the year (the ones that had the biggest cobs) and planted them next year.  The runts didn't get replanted.\n\nHowever, "selection" is a far cry different than genetic engineering.  No amount of selection would combine a pig and a tomato! These products are commonly called "Frankenfruits" or "Frankenfoods" after Frankenstein.\n\nOn a good note: \nSome researchers are trying to make alfalfa and other simple crops to produce vaccines: Simply grow the plant, eat it, and you're innoculated against polio.  A handful of alfalfa seeds could then be given to villages in poorer and less-accessible regions and everyone could be innoculated after the first crop!  Not only that, they could share the seeds with neighbouring villages, and would have the plant for future genereations as well (as opposed to having a fixed number of doses).  Considering a bag of seeds costs only a few dollars, this is a really neat way GMOs could really help the world. So it isn't all bad.\n\nThere are plenty of GMO awareness sites out there. Be sure to find one with local information. I know that in Canada, GMO's are not labelled, but they may need to be in various states and European countries.
721810
I don't agree with cloning or interfering with nature to this degree.\n\nI think sometimes scientists get obsessed with getting their names in the history books and lose sight of the bigger picture.
189656
Yes.  Genetic engineering is troublesome for the Catholic Church on two levels . . . first, the "playing God" factor.  But secondly, the Catholic Church has a very strong stance on marital relationships and procreation . . . sex is an activity that occurs between a husband and wife for the procreation of children and the unification of the couple.  "Sex" without either of these components is sinful.  From this ideology comes the Catholic Church's position against artifical insemination (there is no intercourse, no unification of the couple).  As I understand genetic engineering for babies, this is something that is done outside normal martial relations, so the Church would oppose it on those grounds as well.
536434
I believe in the power of science. It can only help us through so much in so little time. But now that the microchip (that is inserted below the skin of a human being) has been invented, which can help us with our daily activities such as flipping through television channels, remembering passwords of different electronic devices or websites, or just pass by the counter with your groceries, the chip inside you will be scanned and the money that you're supposed to pay will already be charged through your bank account (soon). \n\nThere are so many things science can do to help us make our lives easier so yes, I do believe in clones. Although they're not a good alternatives of the biological/original us, we could always await whatever's going to happen in the near future.