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Genetic Engineering is various ways of changing the DNA code of an organism. It involves being able to isolate DNA pieces containing selected genes and to insert such DNA into the genes of other species. Genetic engineering is a major research field that has come alive in the last twenty to thirty years. The Human Genome project was a huge priority in researcher’s minds to map all genes in human DNA and improve tools for data analysis. As of now, technology is limited but in time there could be no stopping the growth of genetic technology. There are two main types of genetic engineering, somatic and germline. Somatic changes are made by adding genes and are non-inheritable. Germline engineering involves changing the genes in eggs and sperm, this type is inheritable to all generations.
A major breakthrough in genetic engineering is in vitro fertilization. The whole idea of in vitro fertilization is to create a successful pregnancy through a process where egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside of the womb then transferred to the patient’s uterus. In vitro fertilization makes a test tube baby. After fertilization this zygote is allowed to grow in a test tube nutrition solution until it has reached a certain maturity then it will be inserted into the surrogate mother. The surrogate mother then will carry and deliver their baby the same way as any other natural childbirth. With advancing technology parents are now able to “design” their babies. Designing your baby first started out by being able to choose the sex you wanted of your baby. Later on after improvement of gene altering, designing a baby now means you can pick whether you want your baby to be beautiful, intelligent, athletic, musically talented, or all of the above. As of now though, the cost of “designing” your baby is very expensive. But could the society consequences have a greater impact than what designing a babies worth?
Genetic technology already is starting to have a big...