We're now thinking about implementing gene therapy in humans. Oh, why not save a few lives by curing this disease otherwise uncurable.
But doesn't the whole premise of messing with genes produced through evolution have BAD IDEA written all over it? Oh we can be good judges of whats good for the human race in today's environment, but who knows how long this environment will stay intact, especially the way we are messing with it. We talk about curing diseases using gene therapy: ie curing genetic diseases essentially by removing them from our system.
lemme try elaborating a bit
After all, why do we care about sick people anyway? Its because their genes help us preserve variation in the population. If there weren't any diseased or ill (ie genetically different) among us, we'd be totally screwed the day disaster strikes. Take sickle cell anemia. If in a world where there was no quinine (and we couldn't cure or prevent malaria), if a vicious malaria attack took place, most humans would die. But all humans that have one sickle cell anemia gene would live, as malaria does not particularly thrive in such people. And gene therapy is potentially trying to eliminate genetic diseases, of which one is sickle cell anemia.
In a world where sickle cell anemia is potentially eliminated (through gene therapy), and the malaria protozoan involves into something we cannot battle, we are totally screwed. Sure, there will be a few survivors, arousing from some other genetic alteration, but these survivors stresss my point further. The survivors contain genes that are incompatible with malaria, and therefore extremely beneficial in this environment (where malaria is a little too prevalent). The whole thing that bothers me wiht gene therapy is that we are assuming the fundamental uselessness of certain genes, where the uselessness is only true if our surrounding environment were to stay constant.
I mean, altering our genes eventually amounts to what hitler was trying to do. Oh, sure we are doing it for the good of mankind. Of course, thats what hitler thought HE was trying to do too. He was trying to filter out all those he thought were polluting the human gene pool. No mass massacre needed though. We will be taking out genes this time.
Enough ranting.
And see gatica:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CXW W/qid=1092372146/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/026-3078605- 7556419
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We're now thinking about implementing gene therapy in humans. Oh, why not save a few lives by curing this disease otherwise uncurable. But doesn't the whole premise of messing with genes produced through evolution have BAD IDEA written all over it? Oh we can be good judges of whats good for the human race in today's environment, but who knows how long this environment will stay intact, especially the way we are messing with it. We talk about curing diseases using gene therapy: ie curing genetic diseases essentially by removing them from our system. lemme try elaborating a bit After all, why do we care about sick people anyway? Its because their genes help us preserve variation in the population. If there weren't any diseased or ill (ie genetically different) among us, we'd be totally screwed the day disaster strikes. Take sickle cell anemia. If in a world where there was no quinine (and we couldn't cure or prevent malaria), if a vicious malaria attack took place, most humans would die. But all humans that have one sickle cell anemia gene would live, as malaria does not particularly thrive in such people. And gene therapy is potentially trying to eliminate genetic diseases, of which one is sickle cell anemia. In a world where sickle cell anemia is potentially eliminated (through gene therapy), and the malaria protozoan involves into something we cannot battle, we are totally screwed. Sure, there will be a few survivors, arousing from some other genetic alteration, but these survivors stresss my point further. The survivors contain genes that are incompatible with malaria, and therefore extremely beneficial in this environment (where malaria is a little too prevalent). The whole thing that bothers me wiht gene therapy is that we are assuming the fundamental uselessness of certain genes, where the uselessness is only true if our surrounding environment were to stay constant. I mean, altering our genes eventually amounts to what hitler was trying to do. Oh, sure we are doing it for the good of mankind. Of course, thats what hitler thought HE was trying to do too. He was trying to filter out all those he thought were polluting the human gene pool. No mass massacre needed though. We will be taking out genes this time. Enough ranting. And see gatica: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004CXW W/qid=1092372146/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/026-3078605- 7556419