The Uncertainty of Genetic Engineering

1. In many ways, our grandparents had a harder life than we have today. Typing letters on clunky manual typewriters, canning their own vegetables, and sharing the telephone with neighbors on "party lines" were a few of the inconveniences they faced that we don't. However, in one area, at least, we have it harder than our grandparents did. The present generation has to live with uncertainty about the effects of genetic engineering.

2. What is genetic engineering? According to an educational leaflet by the Australian Biotechnology Association distributed on the World Wide Web, genetic engineering is a revolutionary new form of biotechnology. Scientists have learned how to manipulate genes-the chemical information inside living cells that tells the cells how to reproduce. They can copy a gene in one cell and transfer it to a cell in a different species, such as a mouse. Then the receiver cells start producing the desirable trait in the new species. Scientists can also take genes out of a cell and put them back in different combinations. Using genes, they have discovered how to clone cells, making exact duplicates of an original organism. Twenty years ago, such scientific achievements were only a dream.

3. If this sounds exciting, it is-up to a point. Animal and plant breeders used to take decades to develop improved species by mating subjects, trying to match up desirable traits. Even then, they couldn't guarantee that a cross between a dwarf, sweet tomato and a tall, bitter tomato would produce a tall, sweet tomato. It could produce a dwarf, bitter tomato. But now, using genetic engineering techniques, scientists can cut the development process down to two or three years, and better guarantee their results. For the first time in history, it is possible to talk seriously about designer vegetables. It is also possible to use the body of one animal as a "factory" to manufacture a chemical that another species needs. New animals created in labs can be patented, bringing substantial profits to the creators. It is not even hard to imagine that soon scientists will be able to clone human beings.

4. With so much to be said for genetic engineering, why would anyone be leery of it? Some people naturally fear the unknown, and there is much that we still don't know about how genes work. The greatest fear is that some dangerous organism could escape from a scientist's laboratory-an airborne AIDS virus, for example-spreading uncontrollably through the human population. People also point to the unplanned spread of pests such as starlings, fire ants, killer bees, or the kudzu vine in the southeastern United States as examples of how genetic experiments, too, could get out of hand. Scientists tell us there are safeguards; and that even if a mutant lifeform does escape, it is not likely to survive in the evolutionary scheme of things. But many people have seen movies that depict scientists as distracted, onetrack minded, or even evil. They do not trust scientists' reassurances. It seems clear that not everyone who possesses knowledge uses it for the good of humanity. After all, computer hackers have been known to plant destructive viruses.

5. Still, genetic engineering is here, and we must deal with it. It's a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the genie of genetic engineering is out of the bottle. It may be able to grant us some of our best wishes. The bad news is that we're not sure the genie is completely friendly, and we're quite sure we will never get it back into the bottle. Our grandparents would be and are amazed at what scientists have been able to accomplish. In their day, though, if they had been asked to choose between hardships they could see and understand, and using new-fangled conveniences that promised unknown side effects, I wonder which they would have chosen.

Task 2. Read and translate the following article The Uncertainty of Genetic Engineering.

Task 3. Read the article and choose the best beginning from the given below to fill each of the gaps.

A. Certain scientific studies;

B. Today, bioengineering;

C. Commerce operates

D. But the reasons behind ordering a boy;

E. An end to baldness;

F. The day may come;

G. A more recently established practice.