M 3 STT 11

Topic 11.
Genetics Revolution
Explanation
11.1 How Darwin Changed the World
Darwin’s writing was popular with the general public in the 19th century. His most important
work was On the Origin of Species, a concept-filled publication that addressed how organisms
that exist today came to be so unique and varied (Zhao, B , 2009).This concept is called
evolution and it was already considered by other scientists before, however it was Darwin who
documented enough evidence to prove it. This was not easy at that time, since this idea of
evolution was considered as radical in the post-revolutionary France and a threat to
established social and political order.
The central concept of this book, namely evolution by natural selection, has been described as
‘the survival of the fittest’. It means that any organism which is more successful, in terms of
surviving and breeding more frequently than other organisms, will propagate and thus its
genes will persist through to the next generation at a greater frequency (Zhao, B, 2009).
Darwin theory aroused from the observation of birds in the Galapagos Islands. He discovered
thirteen species of finches with different beak size and shape. They were also different from
those found in mainland South America. First he thought all thirteen species appeared as they
are and no evolution had occur. After intensive field research he realized that beak varieties
were associated with diets based on different food. He concluded that when these birds arrived
from South America to the islands they spread and had to adapt to different conditions. Over
many generations they changed anatomically, which allow them to get enough food, survive
and then reproduce. For example, birds with bigger beaks were better suited to eat cactus,
eventually got more food and were able to survive.
This concept of evolution has more implications that you can imagine. It doesn’t only help you
understand why certain animals or plants grow in some regions or ecosystems, but guides you
to explain, for example, how something as intricate as the vertebrate eye may have developed,
and even to suggest that all living species today have evolved from the same starting point - a
common ancestor (Zhao, B , 2009). Darwin’s discoveries are the basis of today’s efforts to
understand genetics and DNA as the basis of all living organisms.
11.2 150 Years of Genetic Research
DNAor Deoxyribonucleic Acid was first identified by James Watson, a biologist, and Francis
Crick, a physicist. They worked together at a lab in Cambridge, England, in the early 1950s.
This was one of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century. At that time scientists
were able to determine that this protein molecule had a helicoid shape and was formed by the
same chemical base: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T).
Genes are the basic information and functional unit of heredity. They are stretches in the DNA
that provide instructions to make protein molecules. Every person has two copies of each
gene, one inherited from each parent. Now you now that the combination, order and sequence
of these components determine the information available for building and maintaining an
organism. Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99.9 percent of those
bases are the same in all people. So only 0.1 percent of the DNA makes you different from
others. Only 1.2% makes you different from chimpanzees, 10% from cats and 40% from fruit
flies.
Genetic research has evolved in the last 150 years from understanding the human DNA
structure to identifying the contributing factors to diseases. If you find out what causes a
disease, you can detect it and treat it better, and hopefully even prevent it from happening in
the first place.
Nearly every disease you know of has a genetic component. A mutation in the DNA sequence
of a cell can cause a malfunction, for example, an abnormal cell growth or cancer.
Genetic research does not only involves looking for mutations in DNA. Investigations that
involves looking at the differences between proteins in individuals with or without a certain
disease can also qualify as genetic research. Main areas of genetic research and their impact
today are described as follows (World Health Organization, 2015):
Gene therapy
The use of genes to treat or prevent disease. In the future this may allow doctors to treat a
disorder by inserting a gene into a patient's cells instead of using drugs or surgery.
Reproductive genomics
The study of the reproduction including genes and chromosomes in germ cells and embryo.
Researchers in this area try to fight infertility, prefect reproductive cells and even clone animals.
Genetic testing
A test for determining the presence or absence of genetic characteristics in a human individual or
the individual's blood relatives.
Genetic databanks and pharmacogenetics
The study of how genes affect drug response. For example, some individuals are more resistant to
antibiotics.
11.3 Bioethics
The application of Darwin’s theories can have a negative impact as well if applied to society.
Social Darwinism has been used to bolster racist arguments. The most prominent example
was the Nazi policy of eugenics executed during the Holocaust. Based on that, it is clear that
scientific theories alone, such as evolution, cannot give answers to moral
questions. Bioethics is the combination of scientific knowledge and moral appreciation used to
study the ways in which decisions in medicine touch upon your health, lives, society and
environment.
The aim of Bioethics is to formulate, scrutinize and justify criteria in order to answer the
question “What actions are morally defensible?” in a philosophically solid manner. In order to
attain this, a comprehensible engagement with life sciences as scientific, technical, political
and social phenomena is required. Therefore, interdisciplinary collaboration is indispensable
for bioethics.
Many questions arising from new research in genetics need to be discussed and analyzed
from a bioethical perspective, such as:
 Is it acceptable to clone humans?

 Do genetically modified crops affect the environment or human health?
 Should humans intervene in reproduction as to create more beautiful or perfect children?
 How far does the freedom of research go and where are its social limits?

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Topic 11.

Genetic databanks and pharmacogenetics

 Is it acceptable to clone humans?

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