Sunday, December 12, 2010

"Designer Babies"



What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of "Designer Babies"? Is it new born babies put in designer clothing. Well that's not quite it, the term is used to describe babies that have been genetically engineered. Regular procreation happens when male and female gametes combine and the different traits and chromosomes from both parents are shared in the child. But a "Designer Baby" refers to a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization. In Vitro Fertilization is when a females egg cells are fertilized by a males sperm cell outside the females body. This method helps reduce the risk of having a child with a genetic disorder. Presently
it is only legal to carry out two types of advanced reproductive technologies on humans. One is to choose the sperm used to fertilize the egg, which determines the type of genes and sex the baby will be. Two is the technique of screening the embryo for any disease, the selected embryos will then be implanted back into the mother. This is called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis. Scientists have made rapid advances in human genome and in our ability to modify and change genes.


In this picture a biopsy pipette (right) is extracting an
embryo (middle) and is held in place
by a blunt pipette (left).

In the future this could potentially lead to the cure of genetic diseases in embryos by replacing corrupted sections of DNA with properly functioning healthy DNA. This is called germline therapy and is done on an egg, sperm, or a tiny fertilized embryo. Germline therapy has been proven to work successfully on animals but is currently illegal to be done on humans.

Above is an animated picture of DNA, like the one used in
germline therapy.

Many people believe that further research into germline therapy and "Designer Babies" is
unethical and an act against God. Personally I wouldn't have a designer baby but i wouldn't mind
trying germline therapy if I needed it. It is illegal for the sole fact that scientists are not sure whether
or not this technology of genetic modification is safe to be used on humans, and can they be morally
defended. I think that if this technology is safe, it should be legalized, to an extent. Yes, there are great
things that could come from genetically modified children, but people can get carried away, and some
greedy people out there instead of setting limits they will keep researching into genetic modification
to meet the demand of the consumer. Which is why I say it should be legalized to an extent, but I
believe in the future the advances in this technology will cure embryo disease and corrupted DNA in humans.

References





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Monday, October 11, 2010

Bring Back The Wild

Across the world many animals, land and in water are being threatened by extinction and loss of their habitats. 25% of mammals, 31% of reptiles, and 33% of amphibians are threatened with extinction across the world. 60% of the worlds ecosystems have been degraded, 50% of the world's forests are gone, 67% of the worlds wetlands are gone, and 1.5 billion hectares of ocean floor habitats are destroyed every year. In Canada alone, 13 species have joined the extinction list and over 400 are listed as being at risk.

Above is a picture of a Sea Mink, which is now one of the extinct
species that used to be found in Canada.

As I was brainstorming different organizations that I could do for my bio blog when I saw a commercial for an organization called "Earth Rangers". Earth Rangers is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Schad in 1999, that believes in the power and integrity of children to help protect wildlife. The organization is located in Woodbridge, Ontario. Their current project is called "Bring Back the Wild" which is focused on protecting wildlife habitats. For this project Earth Rangers have collaborated with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Canada's leading non-profit land conservation organization.

Above is a picture of the earth rangers logo

Humans have had a large negative impact on animals and the environment. Many animals have gone extinct, either due to poaching or hunting of the animal, or destruction of their habitat. But organizations such as Earth Rangers help wildlife while inspiring kids to help protect wildlife and their habitats. The way earth rangers work is by donating to the organization or if there's a certain animal that a ranger is helping, you can help the ranger by sending money to that animals campaign. For instance the goal for the Wolverine campaign is $70, 588. They tell you the conflict that the animal is facing and what the money is going toward. For example the wolverine is being trapped for their fur, if the campaign reaches its goal, they can buy land for wolverines to roam free.
Above is a picture of a wolverine, one of the animals you can donate to on the Earth Rangers website

The Earth Rangers also travel to different schools holding environmental demonstrations that educate school kids with hands on activities on whats happening to wildlife and their habitats and what they can do to help these animals. Although humans have caused a lot of harmto our environment, its not to late to follow in the footsteps of others to help save wildlife. What I think about the Earth Rangers is that the are doing a great job in helping save wildlife and their habitats, while at the same time educating Canadian youth about the environment and the dwindling species in Canada. They definitely send a positive message to youth and to all people, about why our environment is important and how much power kids have when they are joined together.

References


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Comments

http://agtbio.blogspot.com/2010/10/who-really-helps-in-sustaining.html?showComment=1286929141814_AIe9_BG0p_3_ujT34oZrybsf8W2lsMq3SMn8Sn5Q_kLz3QTkOfD7iZNo3J9_Eqf3OPe7dMZ56DFfxf5ZJrNeVI_eaE917dyIamtWQBmzCs6JHJxv6gzX3nbI_lal-5_okE_lPkLKzfqoZVHvkFfoQTpaokj8HbmNIDlijDBo-6Kp4SOqyo_wvPiEc-xh0I0asvrKxDRSpbME6IsRqI8UxpXJgaVHsHxuvQJgw7KH8fKrfzxikzQ6wSbKSpPpw1gOCNLsHNpkJ20xIupqmATnPccDcVgkpQMFs8fQJc5NR_xuM5cygLCd5cqgqOCdUDeMsv9LAV9Fjb5LLfHD5vKp9ZH6sXcZRgeG7CvLY2gOJdqWE8OKYYeCLWxyAajVlI6XIVPxf24yzGflUkkJTHMLvGKD1ozfiq2tgqBrlBxVUoEwP3XB6Qxl5pJ60_BD04F1SeKnpCS0-IaCQ-DbkOMxnXuMesGSitiEMZBElqfFmVq7xAKGZRR9qXOkxQFSzlu3GqgJtdnPDazuCG_7ZFuprcJnJDM9L9HyVYCGzbLyfXwDrZvDDvlIo4IRKI6rWyPOlUSnDolQZUI1GLY_St29TutXfilyL1SaXMuVxLED0pLiaYhdCkGAZ4wrkHQhsV21XOZrtDUfqiyNTKU_tIp8oozpJ9O-PAC6hJzpGOhNspgWPWjpJLLivnpIoKKi4mTm9A8BQENbP7mgo8accx5VwHVXeT2t4NbwkBQRDeAHFgM44D55mDx1cjgRpodXQ7j69IfC9gBmqjotDLBg_zLOHxivrarMIfJUSFMJtwKb9HWs5wabdENZ0zc#c1544973482902542263


http://armenianbiopro.blogspot.com/2010/10/king-of-jungle-how-much-longer-will_06.html?showComment=1286937522801_AIe9_BExn2UoMAnxkM4DG0r-IdQsbJo-anvvLIUJG4IRPjAdPwOKcPRQvtH4oSc6b_aoN6DKdVK8-jPSafGKYuwWg5Oocm_NKfqi6iVqh_L8upwaxMVelBah3JBCD2jKW_YlyBm6wrXbBpxyginrxmWSclNsQtxPx3wHs703RF0T34wIpw7NEoCH3AWxVJEQbEbZYNCzuSyS9tvSTpZLMkqX9RbiYrDEpnri1Z6bioBbH9cdrY-WMKXkPQpCu-EichcG6SSfhfVzHi0pdy4Sp3JLB13ZohKlDw_eX30UnxYYJn9pdIEjXnFwcjjA_33HO8AYaQmtGcs2PiEf8aPDbvnO_8HjmFwrXBZVGUY-LPDdwCklKRDp3OfxHU-Cwa9zn4wgkePoiVp_ZGPmVlJ1Qv0i0eltSAq0eybv2fHdxkqDOlR78OhRVtQ8RT-AMJXqit74aFKHokqlvcFHWYVIBSbUGTKrnskpKBofoBESIuNUNpnE267UI-AV4--UsuaZRWGe-7132U0JUaEUVhDAvekxHWI8QgmZiKHWi-bA-soHaSgzINtllTuF6ViNRqfAqn1lshUftkh2W3RW6ONFFd0O7d-1-VqkzC0MYkDfeMavvuPlqH0j7OtQqnBt0IY8oe2wlRjK6NGYJP4MqHpuDCg9S6Vt_EiNkmewdMSYF3cPBVe4vkiZgBeITp2Oo81CB__Rso4bBWzZCjsLNHb3louy75oFrcoRaM1mVgoXYwX-ddUm32S5Aw012eED5P63sRl3ZR-fJfptOTzULMGlE1Pu-UK0sa1Jw0L4el_DoqA5ww83rclhPFg#c7860966369301172850
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