IX. Ethics, Morals, the Humane/Human Questions

IX. Ethics, Morals, the Humane/Human questions

Take a look at the topics, the dates, AND (more telling) take a look at the sources for the articles. There is so much financial promise in the genome mapping that is already accomplished that you might forget that there is MUCH more financial promise in the future of all forms of genetic manipulation. Some is so meaningful in terms of easing some of the worst medical burdens of many people that they must be pursued - but how far should we go? When is the $ the real reason? When is suffering okay (only for someone else - eh?)

I put all sorts of odds and ends in the reading binder. Those listed, below, are unusually short. They should help you build a real sense of the developments - to date and into the future.

Culliton, B. 1969. Two mothers, two fathers. Science News 95:361-363.

Hoskins, B; O'Connor, J.; Shannon, T.; Widdus, R., and J. Danielli. 1977. Application of genetic and cellular manipulations to agricultural and industrial problemms. BioScience 27(3):188-191.

Gwynne,P.; Gosnell, M.; Begley, S; Collings, A., and S. Gayle. 1978. All about clones 3/20:68-69.

The editors. 1978. Bacterial Genetic material transfer is done in yeast. Cornell Reports Feb.:13

The editors. 1978. Creating insulin. Time 9/18:102.

Sinha, V. and V. Srivastava. 1978. Plasmid-induced loss of virulence in Vibrio cholerae.Nature 276:708-709.

Marx, J, 1981. Three mice "cloned" in Switzerland. Science211:375-376.

Wade, N. 1981. Gene theraphy pioneer draws Mikadoesque rap. Science 212:1253.

The editors. 1981. More magic from gene splicing. TimeJan.:54

Begley,S.; Carey,J.; Abramson,P., and M.Hager. 1981. Gene splicing on the farm. Newsweek 8/10:74,76.

Marx,J. 1987. Rice plants regenerated fom protoplasts. Science 235:31-32.

The editors. 1992. Rice work if you can get it. The Economist 3/21:95.

Ezzell, C. 1992. Sheep chimera makes human blood cells. Science News 141:182.

Cook-Deegan, R. 1994. Private parts. The Sciences 3/4:18-23.

The editors. 3/1:1997. Cloning and its temptations.The Economist

Lutz, D. 1997. Hello, Hello, Dolly, Dolly. The Sciences May/June:10-11.

The world after cloning.1997. U.S. News & World Report 3/10:59-64

Travis, J. 1997. Ewe again? Cloning from adult DNA. Science News 151:132.

Couzin, J. 1999. What's killing clones? U.S. News & World Report. 3/24:65.

The editors (Peter Montague) 2000. Trouble in the garden. Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #685. [rachel-weekly@europe.std.com] 5pp.

Raloff, J. 2000. Treaty nears on gene-altered exports. Science News 157:84.

DiRita, V. 2000. Genomics happens. Science 289:1488-1489. If you look above, you will not a 1978 paper suggesting that a deadly bacterium was just a chimera (combination of materials from two species - sort of Woese-like but with less controversy.) No follow-up info. ever surfaced to my knowledge. This paper showed up in 2000. Interesting possibilities?

Firbank, L, and F. Forcella. 2000. Genetically modivied crops and farmland biodiversity. Science 289:1481-1482.

I just added a paper strictly for you to consider (prior topic-membranes) It offers insight into the kinds of unexpected energy sources that membranes harness (when ATP seems NOT to be used?) You just have to watch this story in the next few years. It should produce new ways to deliver the miracle drugs developed as a result of our newly forming knowledge of our own genome. BTW - with that many authors, someone must believe that this is a MAJOR contribution.

Rehling, P.; Model, K.; Brandner, K.; Kovermann, P.; Sickmann, A.; Meyer, H.; Kuhlbrandt, W.; Wagner, R.; Truscott, K., and N. Pfanner. 2003. Protein insertion into the mitochondrial inner membrane by a twim-pore translocase. Science 299:1747-1751.