...organisms are produced by way of asexual reproduction. With some success, scientists have been working on ways to reproduce this phenomenon through biotechnology, in a laboratory setting. In biotechnology, cloning refers to the process used to create copies of DNA, cells, or entire organisms. Each of these forms of cloning will be described in this paper, which will then explore the issues surrounding cloning from biological, technological and public health standpoints. Molecular cloning, or DNA cloning, is the process of making multiple copies of an isolated sequence of DNA fragments (Strachan & Read, 1999). This form of cloning is most often used in biological research, but is also used in more practical applications such as genetic profiling and protein production. In practice, techniques such as this are often used producing vaccines and researching cures to common ailments. Molecular cloning isolates a desired segment of a DNA and links this fragment to a primary DNA sequence that is capable of replicating itself and the fragment DNA linked to it. Once this new DNA sequence has been formed, it is then inserted into a cell which will make identical genetic copies of the...
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...Contrary to popular notion, cloning started more than a century before Dolly, the first cloned mammal, became famous. It cannot be denied, nonetheless, that Dolly awakened the imagination of the populace regarding the pros and cons of cloning. It is a debate that continues to polarize society 15 years after the birth of the most famous sheep on Earth. Discussion We must emphasize that the cloning referred to in this article refers to reproductive, gene and therapeutic cloning. Reproductive cloning is used in the creation of an animal with the same nuclear DNA as another animal, the latter of which may be currently or previously in existence. This was the technology used in the creation of Dolly. Therapeutic cloning refers to the production of human embryos for the purpose of research. It has also been applied to create new organs or tissues for transplantation into a waiting patient with possible applications in the treatment of diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer. These two types of cloning – there is a third type known as gene cloning, by the way – are at the center of heated debates. If you wish to cast your vote on the pros and cons of cloning, it is important to acquire as much reliable and relevant information and education on the matter. Advantages of Cloning With that being said, the following are the generally accepted benefits of cloning: • Easy replacement of internal organs and tissues for patients in need of transplants...
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...I. The idea of genetic information being open to the public has been a contentious topic because of the part of the public who see it as unfair and prejudiced. Despite this controversy, genetic information should be public to employers. One may argue that revealing genetic information may cause a company to be biased, but more than likely they are already biased. Several studies have shown that factors such as appearance, sex and race can play a part in whether or not you receive a job. All of these things, similar to genetics, are innate. Denying genetic information to employers due to a fear of partiality is redundant when taking into fact that prejudice is already apparent. In fact, learning about an employee’s genetics can help a company in accommodating them. For example, if it is discovered that a worker does not have favorable genes for leadership skills, it can be combated by placing them in courses to improve those skills. However, information on genes should not be used to accept or deny a person of a job due to a possibility of disease. Unlike when it is used to improve a work environment, here it is simply a...
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...Where it was once unusual to read issues and news regarding the topic of genetic engineering, which is no longer the case now. These days, scientists have been trying their best to affirm the nature’s mysterious of human being. If there is any chance for the scientists to make money, some of them will unveil the new facts of genetic engineering without doubt (Green, 2001). Genetic engineering is the use of various methods to make new combinations of DNA to produce a cell, tissue or an organism through the process of a sexual reproduction. Genetic engineering is already a propitious resource of science since the early nineteen centuries. Based on James Watson and Francis Crick, they discovered that DNA is a double helix formed by base pairs aligned to the sugar and phosphate strand. When DNA double helix replicates, it shaped like a twisted ladder. The DNA carries the genetic material that controls the trait and characteristics of the organism. However, Herb Boyer and Stanley Cohen found a solution to cut and recombine the DNA in several ways in 1970s. Soon scientists found that they could alter and take the genes from animals and plants and transfer them into bacteria. Bacteria will then produce large amount of hormones by the transplanted genes (Kafka, 2009). Genetic engineering allows genes to exchange information between unrelated species that would never happen in nature. Genetic engineering nowadays is one of the constructive resources that can be apply in many field...
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...Page 181 CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY TEXT AND ANNEXES Proto/ang 11/13/2000 3:39 PM Page 182 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY TEXT AND ANNEXES Montreal, 2000 Proto/ang 11/13/2000 3:39 PM Page 184 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Introduction Montreal, 2000 Copyright © 2000, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity ISBN: 92-807-1924-6 This publication may be reproduced for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holders, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The Secretariat of the Convention would appreciate receiving a copy of any publications that uses this publication as a source. For bibliographic and reference purpose this publication should be referred to as: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2000). Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity: text and annexes. Montreal: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This booklet contains the text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which starts on page 2. Published by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity For further information, please contact: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity World Trade Centre 393 St. Jacques, Suite 300 Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1N9 Canada...
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...There are many ethical issues involved in management. Diversity has become a major issue in management. Workplace diversity refers to the extent of cultural diversity within a company. “Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (K.A. Green, M. López, A. Wysocki, & K. Kepner, 2008)”. Diversity in business allows a business to better understand the demographics of its marketplace, as long as the company takes advantage of the breadth of knowledge a diverse workplace can offer. Many businesses now state that they are an “Equal Opportunity Employer”. This means that they prefer to have a diverse workplace and will not discriminate. Discrimination is one of the main issues stopping diversity. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualifications affects how an employee is treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007, p. 69)”. Discrimination can include age, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, sexual preference, and/or any quality that varies from the “accepted norm”. Discrimination occurs not only in the hiring process, but also in decisions for promotions and layoffs. The proverbial “glass ceiling” is an excellent example of discrimination in promotions. The glass ceiling means that, while one can see the position and its availability...
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...human races have become statistically more insignificant as time has elapsed. Through migration, genetic drift, random mutation, interbreeding, clustering, and natural selection, genetic variation has greatly increased, leaving behind the ‘set in stone’ categories of race that were once crucial in science. It is detrimental to not only individuals but also groups of people to base our medical research and genetic testing solely on race alone. Ancestry has proven to be a much greater marker for determining if individuals carry genes that code for certain genetic diseases. Where and who we descend from determines what genes we may carry, not simply which ‘race’ or social construction we belong to. The realization that the term ‘race’ is no longer genetically relevant or able to describe the immensity of differences between each and every individual comes from new discoveries in “human genome sequence variation research and molecular anthropological research” (Rosenberg, 2002). Many now understand that ‘race’ is not the correct term, but there is still debate over what framework to use that adequately reflects the new criteria of these recent findings (Royal & Dunston, 2004). This new research in genetic variation has made it near impossible to still believe that race is a genetically relevant way to classify human beings. Our background regarding the variation of our genetic makeup is essentially a melting pot. As ancestors carry on genes and incoming members of the population...
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...The Solutions to Designer Babies Perfection in terms of procreating was once a sky limit that was unreachable. In the pursuit of procreating the most perfect children, today’s society has proven this limit to be attainable. The issue of “designer babies” has shaken not only are nation’s values on the introduction of new children into the world, but also our unity as a society on this subject. Designer babies could arise problems in diversity around the world, the outnumbering of women in some countries, and social advantages to the wealthy. Split into two sides, our society continues to shift between what we believe is right and wrong regarding this new form of perfection. The future of genetic engineering (gene therapy) or “designer babies”...
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...since its inception in 1981. More importantly to Termeer, because of its breakthroughs in creating medicine for rare diseases, Genzyme has also been able to change the lives of numerous individuals suffering from these diseases by developing a cure for some of them. Relational Investors, one of Genzyme’s primary stockholders, believes that even though Genzyme had a very good growth rate when compared to the rest of the biotechnology industry, Genzyme stock was still significantly undervalued. To fix this, Ralph Whitworth, the CEO of Relational Investors, offered some recommendations as to how Genzyme could fix this problem. These recommendations were: improve capital allocation decision making, either implement a share-buyback program or issue a dividend, add more board members to the Genzyme board of directors who had more financial expertise, and change board member compensation to reflect the performance of Genzyme. Termeer was very familiar with how ‘activist investors’ such as Ralph Whitworth operated. Having already fought of Carl Icahn, who sought major changes in the way Genzyme operated, Termeer knew how important his negotiations would be with Ralph Whitworth. These negotiations were a pivotal point in the history of Genzyme Corporation. If Termeer was able to fight of Whitworth as he had fought of Icahn, Genzyme would continue to operate as it normally had, but if Whitworth came out victorious in these negotiations, then major changes could potentially occur. Section...
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...Genetic Engineering Genes can determine human traits and behaviors, as well as influence health and disease. With new technologies regarding genetics coming about, researchers are discovering its many applications for engineering the best traits in humans. Because of this, however, there are a number of controversies surrounding the topic. Is the genetic engineering of human embryos an ethical option for bringing out the best traits possible? Are there any limits of what we can do and what we should do? I believe that genetic engineering is an acceptable practice. However, this technology should only be used to prevent disabilities or life threatening diseases, instead of using it for enhancing humans and selecting the best traits to create...
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...Ethical Issues in Management-Diversity Brenda Wilson Stringer MGT/216 Organizational Ethics and Social Responsibility August 23, 2010 Paul Nesbitt Management involved many ethical issues, and diversity is a major issue in management. The extent of cultural diversity within a company is referred to as the workplace diversity. “Diversity is defined as acknowledging, valuing, understanding, accepting, and celebrating the differences of people with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, class physical and mental ability orientation, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistant status (K. A. Green, M. Lopez, Wysocki & K. Kepner, 2008).” The demographics of a business market place allow the business to better understand its diversity. A company knows the breadth of knowledge that a diverse workplace, and states that they’re “Equal Opportunity Employer” who do not discriminate. By having diversity in the workplace, it helps maintain and stops discrimination. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualification affects how an employee is treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007. P. 69).” Discrimination involves age, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual preference, religious beliefs, and any other quality that varies from the accepted norm. During the decision making process for hiring, promotions, and layoffs occurs is when discriminations are involved. The “glass ceiling” is a good example of promotions involving discrimination...
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...Ethical Issues in Management Juanita Bell University of Phoenix Ethical Issues in Management What is business ethics? According to wiseGEEK (2003-2010), business ethics “Is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world.” (What is Business Ethics? para.1). The ethics of a organization may be discrete, however ethics do not just apply to how the business communicates with the world, but also includes the business’ one-on-one relations with individual clients and employee’s. There are many ethical issues involved in management. Diversity has become a major issue in the management world. Workplace diversity refers to the extent of cultural diversity within a company. “Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (K.A. Green, M. López, A. Wysocki, & K. Kepner, 2008)”. Diversity in business allows a business to better understand the demographics of its marketplace. Many advertise themselves as “Equal Opportunity Employers”, meaning they maintain a diverse workplace and will not discriminate. Though many ethical issues can be found with in the workplace, the most common is discrimination. Discrimination is one of the main issues currently stopping diversity. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualifications...
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...process that causes problems. However this food may be produced in a non sustainable way. Pesticides, use of non farming land and the demand for cash crops over self sufficiency are not necessarily in the environments best interest. Factors such as poverty, wealth and inequality place burdens on the environment and possible sustainability. Genetically modified foods could be a key factor in advancing the goal of sustainable development. Biotechnology is the use of biological science to alter living organisms for the benefit of mankind. Every organism carries a set of instructions telling it how to grow and reproduce in its genes. Genetic engineering is deliberately changing a plants make up giving the organism new features by removing or copying selected genes with the aim of improving the plant and introducing more beneficial traits. Often the genetic material inserted is alien to the receiving plant. It can result in cross...
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...Human Cloning Table of Contents: Advantages and Disadvantages Human Cloning and Divine Command Theory Human Cloning and Naturalism Human Cloning and Religion Human Cloning and Utilitarianism Human Cloning and Ethical Egoism Human Cloning and Kantianism Advantages and Disadvantages Like any other controversial topic, human cloning has numerous advantages and disadvantages, and based on these, one ought to decide whether to condemn human cloning as ethically right or not. On the one hand, there are several advantages for human cloning. These are mostly medical and political advantages. From a medical point of view, cloning can serve to improve the human condition. As a matter of fact, it provides cures to various diseases. With human cloning legalized, doctors would no longer treat cancer by chemotherapy; they would rather replace the affected cancerous organ by a new cloned one. Another way human cloning can serve to improve the human condition is by improving future generations. Some traits in human beings are unwanted and undesirable and can therefore be genetically dismissed in clones. Thus, future generations will not bear these unwanted characteristics. Furthermore, human cloning can serve to provide solutions to problems such as infertility and aging. Although Human cloning has a good number of advantages, it also has a lot of drawbacks. First of all, human cloning is the act of creating a new human being using technology and not the traditional way. This causes a...
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...ID: SANCHEZBIO1001 The readings listed below should be done before or concurrently as the corresponding content material is presented. Course content will be presented on the assumption that the respective assignments have been read. Additional reading assignments from other sources may be incorporated into the content of this course as deemed necessary by the instructor. ------------------------------------------------- COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES ------------------------------------------------- A. Course and Performance Objectives Learning Outcome: Enable students to recognize the major unifying themes of biology, including evolutionary theory, cell theory, reproduction, and genetics as these relate to contemporary issues, such as biodiversity, human impact on the environment, and biotechnology. Course Goals: Upon completion of this class, the student will be able to: 1. Know the major characteristics common to all living things. 2. Understand the hierarchy of organization that exists for life from the level of the atom to the biosphere. 3. Describe the unifying theme of evolution for the...
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