Biogenetic Engineering: a Gamble for a Bright Future

1._____ as methodically as a well-regulated clock: dutiful companies bring diverse household and business products to millions of eager customers. But industry’s thirst to make people's lives easier and better may not be quenched by mere electric pencil

sharpeners and automatic garage openers: soon market researchers will leave behind present-day fixation on electronic gadgetry and cleaning agents to penetrate the very fuse box of life itself-the great new world of DNA.

2._____ when an ingenious researcher will knock confidently on the company president's door and, holding up a pink test tube, announce that after isolating the gene that causes baldness, he has succeeded in simulating a new one to replace it. The president's

eyes will open wide (as his pupils enlarge to almost swallow the irises, and the whites become etched with scarlet lightning bolts) and the excited executive will jump up from his chair, his face assuming the look that Dr. Frankenstein must have worn when he first

heard his monster breathe.

3._____ is just one perhaps trivial example of the future as predicted by today's budding biotechnological industry. Not many people would object to ending the nuisance of baldness, but then what about tallness, obesity, sexual preference, facial features, etc.?

Such characteristics blend to create our individuality. How would we feel if these qualities were for sale?

4._____ is in its latent stage; however, it will undoubtedly display far fuller foliage in the very near future. Amniocentesis, for example, allows us to "look into" the unborn baby, finds out its sex, and discover whether the child has such disorders as Down’s

syndrome. Since this process gives us no method (except abortion) of defeating the prognosis, it cannot truly be considered genetic engineering.

5._____, closely related to biotechnology, is the determination of sex by the process of filtering. If a couple wants a boy, the doctor filters the male's sperm to separate the "X" cells from the "Y" cells. A '”Y” sperm is joined with an egg and voila – a customordered

boy! Most couples who go through this procedure do so because of a defective gene from one of the parents that would affect offspring of only one gender. Thus, to ensure against a disorder in the child (and in future generations), the parents take the precaution

of conceiving a baby of the invulnerable sex.

6._____ or a girl are not always this practical: sheer preference often plays a large role. Certain traits like tallness, slimness, and blue eyes are social favorites. If we allow people to "catalog-order" their babies, we will get an increasing number of children with

"popular" genes. And more and more popular traits engineered into babies will drastically lesson individuality; in future schools we may see "herds" of children with dimpled cheeks, Shirley Temple curls, and Jimmy Carter smiles. And who knows? Perhaps such

"unpopular" traits as shyness or homosexuality or obesity serve some hidden evolutionary purpose.

7._____ suggest that homosexuality, for which there is a genetic inclination, may be one of nature's guards against overpopulation. What if, by mass cooperation, we eliminated a gene whose presently unrecognized purpose might have saved us from a future catastrophe?

Task 4 Read the article below and choose the best word to fill each gap.

If we (take / probe / understand)a bit further into this hypothetical world, we become conscious of potential (prejudices /points / features)and injustices. If biotechnology makes (selective / elective / expensive)services widely available to the public, just

what sort of people would benefit? Why, anyone who has the money for such a costly (habit / extravagance / thing).(In cases of health, all people should be equall eligible.) But in the capitalist society, many parents would be unable to (give / afford / accept)

bioengineering for their offspring.

Although it's true that the above (predictions / plans / ideas)are a bit far-fetched, advances in genetic engineering could make them all possible. But what if we take a different route? Let's (take / imagine / see)it's the year 2150. Genetically (produced / made / engineered)babies have been bouncing around for some time now. Satisfaction and contentment (show / characterize / describe) most of the world's populace. Our planet is at rest: all of today's (lethal / dead / unavoidable)bacteria and viruses have been (killed / exterminated / ousted)and humans are now engineered with only "good" genes. But, during this period of global health and wellbeing, a mutant (virus / bacteria / gene)has arisen, unnoticed and unfeared. The new virus multiplies and invades the human body.

The by-now vastly narrowed gene pool of human beings (everyone similarly "engineered") has no means of dealing with so sudden a (mistake / flaw / threat). Perhaps one of those mysterious genes that was weeded out of the human (species / kind / sort)could have

saved a few people from this plague, but for bioengineering.

Task 5 Read the article and define which paragraph (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) each statement (A, B, C, D, E) refers to.

A.The new technology produced human insulin.

B.There are many opponents to the technology.

C.Transgenic organisms are applied in many spheres of life.

D.The new method caused fears in scientific and public circles.

E.A GMO is a method of studying basic biological processes and creating new cells.

1. A genetically modified organism (GMO)or genetically engineered organism (GEO)is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are generally known as recombinant DNA technology. With this technology, DNA molecules from different sources are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism and causes the organism to acquire modified or novel traits. The term "genetically modified organism" does not always imply, but can include, targeted insertions of genes from one into another species.

For example, a gene from a jellyfish, encoding a fluorescent protein called GFP, can be physically linked and thus co-expressed with mammalian genes to identify the location of the protein encoded by the GFP-tagged gene in the mammalian cell. These and other

methods are useful and indispensable tools for biologists in many areas of research, including those that study the mechanisms of human and other diseases or fundamental biological processes in eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells.

2.The general principle of producing a GMO is to add a lot of genetic material into an organism's genome to generate new traits – Genetic engineering – was made possible through a series of scientific advances including the discovery of DNA and the

creation of the first recombinant bacteria in 1973. This led to concerns in the scientific community about potential risks from genetic engineering which have been thoroughly discussed at the Asilomar Conference in Pacific Grove, California.

3.The recommendations laid out from this meeting were that government oversight of recombinant DNA research should be established until the technology was deemed safe. Herbert Boyer then founded the first company to use recombinant DNA

technology, Genentech, and in 1978 the company announced the creation of an E. coli strain producing the human protein insulin.

4. In 1986, field tests of bacteria genetically engineered to protect plants from frost damage (ice-minus bacteria) at a small biotechnology company called Advanced Genetic Sciences of Oakland, California, were repeatedly delayed by opponents of

biotechnology. In the same year, a proposed field test of a microbe genetically engineered for a pest resistance protein by Monsanto was dropped.

5.Examples of GMOs are highly diverse, and include transgenic (genetically modified by recombinant DNA methods) animals such as mice, fish, transgenic plants, or various microbes, such as fungi and bacteria. The generation and use of GMOs has many

reasons, chief among them are their use in research that addresses fundamental or applied questions in biology or medicine, for the production of pharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes, and for direct, and often controversial, applications aimed at improving human

health (e.g., gene therapy) or agriculture (e.g., golden rice).

Task 6 Read the article and choose the best beginning phrase from the given below to fill each of the gaps.

A.For instance, the bacteria;

B.In addition to bacteria;

C.Bacteria were the first organisms;

D.Genetically modified bacteria.

Transgenic microbes

1._____ to be modified in the laboratory, due to their simple genetics. These organisms are now used in a variety of tasks, and are particularly important in producing large amounts of pure human proteins for use in medicine.

2._____ are used to produce the protein insulin, to treat diabetes. Similar bacteria have been used to produce clotting factors to treat haemophilia, and human growth hormone to treat various forms of dwarfism. These recombinant proteins are much safer than

the products they replaced, since the older products were purified from cadavers and could transmit diseases. Indeed the humanderived proteins caused many cases of AIDS and hepatitis C in haemophilliacs and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from human growth

hormone.

3._____ being used for producing proteins, genetically modified viruses allow gene therapy. Gene therapy is a relatively new idea in medicine. A virus reproduces by injecting its own genetic material into an existing cell. That cell then follows the instructions

in this genetic material and produces more viruses. In medicine this process is adapted to deliver a gene that could cure disease into human cells. Although gene therapy is still relatively new, it has had some successes. It has been used to treat genetic disorders such

as severe combined immunodeficiency, and treatments are being developed for a range of other incurable diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and muscular dystrophy.

4._____ in your mouth which causes tooth decay is called Streptococcus mutans. This bacteria eats left over sugars in your mouth and produces acid that eats away tooth enamel and causes cavities. Scientists have recently modified Streptococcus mutans to

produce ethanol. This transgenic bacterium, if properly colonized in a person's mouth, could possibly eliminate cavities and other tooth related issues. Transgenic microbes have also been used in recent research to kill or hinder tumors, and fight Crohn's disease.

Genetically modified bacteria is also used in some soils to facilitate crop growth, and can also produce chemicals which are toxic to crop pests.

Task 7 Read the article below and choose the best word to fill each gap.

Transgenic animals

Transgenic animals are (used / made / built)as experimental models to perform phenotypic tests with genes whose function is unknown or to generate animals that are (sensitive / sensible / susceptible)to certain compounds or stresses for testing in biomedical research. Other applications (consist / include / compose)the production of human hormones, such as insulin.

Frequently used in genetic (study / survey / research)are transgenic fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as genetic models to study the effects of genetic changes on development. Flies are often (preferred / chosen /taken)over other animals for ease of

culture, and also because the fly genome is somewhat simpler than (that / some / one)of vertebrates. Transgenic mice are often used to study cellular and tissue-specific (responses / answer / reply)to disease.

Task 8 Read the article below and write one word to fill the gap.

Transgenic plants

Transgenic plants 1._____ been developed for various purposes: resistance to pests, herbicides or harsh environmental

conditions; improved shelflife; increased nutritional value – and many more. Since the first commercial cultivation of GM plants in 1996, GM plant events tolerant to the herbicides glufosinate or glyphosate and events producing the Bt toxin, an insecticide,

2._____ dominated the market. Recently, a new generation of GM plants promising benefits for consumers and industry purposes

3._____ becoming ready to enter the markets.

Whenever GM plants 4._____ grown on open fields without forms of containment, there is the possibility that there could

5._____ associated environmental risks. Therefore, most countries require biosafety studies prior 6._____ the approval of a new GM plant event, usually followed 7._____ a monitoring programme to detect environmental impacts.

Especially in Europe, the coexistence of GM plants with conventional and organic crops 8._____ raised many concerns. Since there is separate legislation for GM crops and a high demand from consumers for the freedom of choice between GM and non-GM

foods, measures 9._____ required to separate GM, conventional and organic plants and derived food and feed. European research programmes such as Co-Extra, Transcontainer and SIGMEA 10._____ investigating appropriate tools and rules. On the field level,

these are biological containment methods, isolation distances and pollen barriers.

Task 9 Read the article and decide whether the statements are true or false.

1.Genetic manipulation is not approved unanimously.

2.Global effects of GMOs are predictable.

3.The majority of the states decided to support GMOs.

4.PEI is against GM potatoes.

5.There is a great controversy in the use of GMOs in Australia.

6.Modern research does not use genetic engineering.

Government support for and ban of GMOs

The use of GMOs has sparked significant controversy in many areas. Some groups or individuals see the generation and use of GMO as intolerable meddling with biological states or processes that have naturally evolved over long periods of time, while others

are concerned about the limitations of modern science to fully comprehend all of the potential negative ramifications of genetic manipulation.

While some groups advocate the complete prohibition of GMOs, others call for mandatory labeling of genetically modified food or other products. Other controversies include the definition of patent and property pertaining to products of genetic engineering and

the possibility of unforeseen local and global effects as a result of transgenic organisms proliferating. The basic ethical issues involved in genetic research are discussed in the article on genetic engineering.

USA

In 2004, Mendocino County, California became the first county in the United States to ban the production of GMOs. The measure passed with a 57 % majority. In California, Trinity and Marin counties have also imposed bans on GM crops, while

ordinances to do so were unsuccessful in Butte, San Luis Obispo, Humboldt, and Sonoma counties. Supervisors in the agriculturallyrich counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Solano, Sutter, and Tulare have passed resolutions supporting the practice.

CANADA

In 2005, a standing committee of the government of Prince Edward Island in Canada began work to assess a proposal to ban the production of GMOs in the province. PEI has already banned GM potatoes, which account for most of its crop. Mainland Canada is

one of the world’s largest producers of GM canola.

AUSTRALIA

Several states of Australia have had moratoria on the planting of GM food crops dating from around 2003. However, in late 2007 the states of New South Wales and Victoria lifted these bans while South Australia and Western Australia continued their bans.

Tasmania has extended their moratorium to June 2008. The state of Queensland has allowed the growing of GM crops since 1995 and has never had a GM ban.

Currently, there is little international consensus regarding the acceptability and effective role of modified "complete" organismssuch as plants or animals. A great deal of the modern research that is illuminating complex biochemical processes and disease

mechanisms makes vast use of genetic engineering.

Task 10 Read, translate and make up questions covering the main points of the article.

Crosspollination concerns

Some critics have raised the concern that conventionally bred crop plants can be cross-pollinated (bred) from the pollen of modified plants. Pollen can be dispersed over large areas by wind, animals, and insects. Recent research with creeping bentgrass has

lent support to the concern when modified genes were found in normal grass up to 21 km (13 miles) away from the source, and also within close relatives of the same genus (Agrostis). GM proponents point out that outcrossing, as this process is known, is not new.

The same thing happens with any new open-pollinated crop variety–newly introduced traits can potentially cross out into

neighbouring crop plants of the same species and, in some cases, to closely related wild relatives. Defenders of GM technology point out that each GM crop is assessed on a case by case basis to determine if there is any risk associated with the outcrossing of the GM

trait into wild plant populations. The fact that a GM plant may outcross with a related wild relative is not, in itself, a risk unless such an occurrence has consequences. If, for example, a herbicide resistance trait was to cross into a wild relative of a crop plant it can be

predicted that this would not have any consequences except in areas where herbicides are sprayed, such as a farm. In such a setting the farmer can manage this risk by rotating herbicides.

Task 11 Read the article and decide whether the statements are true or false.

1.The American population is not interested in their food calories.

2.Fat-free products lead to overweight.

3.Sugar is as useful as fat.

4.Dietary guidelines attract many consumers.

5.Replacement shakes are healthy.