learn about a new molecular biology tool called CRISPR which scientist say is “A game-changing genetic engineering technique”. T
Just Need Peer Reviews
the goal of this assignment is to learn about a new molecular biology tool called CRISPR which scientist say is “A game-changing genetic engineering technique”. To support your contribution to the discussion board:
1. Read this recent article published in the New York Times:
2. In U.S. First, Scientists Edit Genes of Human Embryos
1. Do some research to understand what CRISPR is and how it works. Learn about the applications, the possibilities and the controversy of its potential uses.
2. Tell somebody you know (family, friend, colleague…) about CRISPR. Explain to them how it works and its uses. Find out what they think about CRISPR being a tool that could help babies avoid inherited diseases, or cure cancer patients, or treat HIV infections and ask them how they feel about the use of CRISPR to edit human embryos.
3. Contribute to the discussion board. Your post should include:
1. Short definition of CRISPR. (10 points)
2. A link to one of the resources you used to learn about CRISPR. (10 points)
3. A summary of your experience on sharing information about CRISPR with your listener. (15 points)
John
CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats.” It is a way for scientist to alter or edit DNA and modify the genes. Using this process could cure and save many people by correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases. CRISPR is derived from CRISPR-Cas9 are parts of the DNA that are capable of cutting strands of DNA. Having the ability to correct genetic defects could be a life saver for some. This could help cure cystic fibrosis, HIV, cancer and cataracts for example. It could also be used to produce more yield from crops and their ability to survive in various elements. On the other hand, you are giving humans the ability to change a person DNA. What happens when that person then reproduces and their changed DNA is inherited by their off spring. Can you mix CRISPR DNA with that of another? There couold be unintended consequences of the changes that are made.
I talked to my daughter, who is studying biology, but has yet to learn about CRISPR. We discussed what the possibilities could be to help save human lives and make thing better. We think everyone would agree that any tool that could help save people from pain and suffering is a good tool. However, there are cons to what humans create. There is always an opposite and equal reaction to things in life. If good is trying to be achieved, evil will find a way to utilize it to their advantage. As well, how will future generations adapt to this new editing as offspring is produced. We will start to modify genetic make-ups of human kind. What will that mix bring? A superhuman? What about mother nature adapting to our creations. Will new diseases and virus come about? The cat is already out of the bag with CRISPR. We believe scientist must tread lightly with the ability to alter the future of human kind.
Hartwell
One of the two who’d never heard didn’t want to keep listening to the conversation, because she was horrified. It’s notable she was previously a hospital clinician, and said “how do they know they won’t just cause cancer?” The other who’d just heard seemed to have a tough time digesting it, and before I could finish automatically went to the conclusion that it would be used as a weapon via the military. I thought this was interesting, because that’s exactly how my mind worked, hence me citing the above article on the military use of CRISPR.
The two who’d already heard of CRISPR – one didn’t really seem to take much of an ethical issue at all, pointing out that science has already been doing experiments on human embryos for a long time, and that this wasn’t really anything that different. I will say that this person seemed not very well informed though, so I question the validity of the feedback. The other who’d heard about it, didn’t really give a strong opinion but did highlight that it’s definitely highly controversial.
One thing to keep in mind – we’re all persons in charge of regulatory compliance, and are trained to always think of patient safety. So, I’d consider this definitely a conservative group. That said, 2/4 disapproved of CRISPR, 1/4 did not see any issue, and 1/4 neither approved nor disapproved. Given these results, I feel a bit more comfortable that my reservations are shared. Or, to use a regulatory concept – I do not see that the benefits of CRISPR outweigh the risks.
Peer Review 2
Alternative Energy: The sources for and uses of energy are some of the most pressing and influential questions to be answered by industry and science today. The search for alternative fuels is a major part of this endeavor. Here is an interesting interview with Bill Gates on this topic.
· Q&A with Bill Gates on the World’s Energy Crisis
Instructions
Here are some questions to consider in your discussion of the topic of Energy use in the 21st century:
· Is ethanol a good alternative to petroleum fuels? And is using corn to produce ethanol the right method?
· Where do you think we will be in 50 years on this issue?
· Find a reference that discusses an alternative fuel. Tell us what the article says about it and include your article as a reference.
Steph
There has been increasing support for the utilization of ethanol as a viable alternative to gasoline and other petroleum-based products as it not only provides energy sustainability but also leads to less environmental pollution. Ethanol is less harmful than gasoline as it leads to less carbon monoxide production and is also easy to source given that it comes from processed corn. Bill Gates does not believe that ethanol can become a measurably important to impact the US oil importation (Anderson, 2011). although ethanol can be an important and useful alternative to gasoline, the American ethanol industry is presently far from being able to meet the increasing energy needs. Part of this has to do with the fact that ethanol is processed from corn. The use of corn to produce ethanol is simply too expensive as compared to gasoline production. The amount of energy from fossil fuels that is needed to produce ethanol (running farm machinery, fertilizing, harvesting, and transporting corn, and processing corn into alcohol) is as much as the energy produced by ethanol making it a less viable alternative at present.
It is really difficult to predict what will happen in the next 50 years or so given the highly dynamic nature of today’s energy environment. Although it is an admirable goal to try and replace petroleum-based fuel with ethanol fuel, it is highly unlikely that such a goal will be attained within the next fifty years. There is going to be a myriad of energy alternatives developed within the next five decades and whether or not ethanol will be accepted as a viable energy source will depend on the development of more efficient techniques to produce ethanol.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel which can be made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. It is an alternative to petroleum-based fuels and is presently mainly manufactured from conventionally grown edible oils such as soybean, palm, and sunflower (Demirbas, Bafail, Ahmad, Sheikh, 2016). However, biodiesel is currently not economically feasible as the cost for producing it is high while extensive production from edible oils can lead to a food crisis (Demirbas, Bafail, Ahmad, Sheikh, 2016). The most probable way to make biodiesel economically feasible is by using low-cost feedstocks such as waste cooking and non-edible oils.
Chavez
In the past decades we have been able to see how many companies, political figures and some of the wealthy promote the importance of developing new sources of energy. By far one of the most promoted sources is solar power and has become a trend that keeps growing fast int he United States and the world. Is solar power the future of alternative energy? According to Bill Gates… no. Surprisingly to me, Bill Gates seems to be supporting more of the use of nuclear power compared to other energy sources. He states that using ethanol in farming works better for the rich but affects greatly the poor. For the rich it means that they can increase the price of their products but for the poor, who already struggle to be able to buy this products, it means that their spending raises while still making the same amount of money. In my opinion, this supports the theory of the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer and using ethanol is not the best method for the majority of the consumers.
Based on the increased use of solar power on businesses and homes, electric vehicles and clean air gas for public transportation, I believe this trend will continue growing and most people will continue to transition to these means. It may be somewhat expensive to put solar panels on the roof or to buy an electric vehicle but companies have found a great way to advertise the benefit of change. One of the main reasons of my believe is that the use of these energy sources tend to be somewhat more cost effective and helps the daily user save money in the long term, serving as a incentive or motivator to advertise in order to get others on board with the “switch”.
In the interview Bill Gates said that “ethanol has nothing to do with reducing CO2” but according to Larry West, writer of an article in ThoughtCo site, ethanol has a lot of benefits. Besides the fact that ethanol is a “relative low-cost alternative fuel that boasts less pollution” we can find more of it than unblended gasoline (2019). West goes on to say ethanol is “less harmful than unblended gasoline” since engines create less carbon monoxide when using it. Ethanol also helps farms and manufacturing economies since it creates a revenue and creates jobs. According to the article, another big benefit of using ethanol is that it is produced domestically and it reduces us to rely on other countries petroleum products and keeping the jobs in the United States.
