Should individuals be permitted to experiment, create and store potential biological weapons? with reference
Added by Nicholas P.
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The use of such weapons is prohibited under international law, specifically the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Understanding the potential consequences of creating and storing biological weapons is crucial, as they can lead to widespread harm, pandemics, and Show more…
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A scientist studies a virus that causes a mild disease in mice. She discovers how a genetic modification of the virus converts it into a virus deadly to mice and realizes that a similar process could create a deadly human virus. Can the scientist continue this work and remain ethical? A. No. The scientist should stop this work immediately. She will be fully responsible if her discovery causes harm. B. No. The scientist should stop her work immediately and furnish a top-secret report to government authorities. Only the military should possess such knowledge. C. Yes. The scientist may continue her work after realizing how her discovery may be used. She may be in the best position to discover how to thwart misuse. D. Yes. The scientist should continue her work but not reveal her results to anyone. This ensures that no one else can discover the genetic modification.
Adi S.
explain and support this statement "Humans would never develop natural immunity to a novel biological agent created in a laboratory."
Caroline M.
One of the first organisms that was genetically modified using recombinant DNA technology was a bacterium that normally lives on the surface of strawberry plants. This bacterium makes a protein, called ice-protein, that causes the efficient formation of ice crystals around it when the temperature drops to just below freezing. Thus, strawberries harboring this bacterium are particularly susceptible to frost damage because their cells are destroyed by the ice crystals. Consequently, strawberry farmers have a considerable interest in preventing ice crystallization. A genetically engineered version of this bacterium was constructed in which the ice-protein gene was knocked out. The mutant bacteria were then introduced in large numbers into strawberry fields, where they displaced the normal bacteria by competition for their ecological niche. This approach has been successful: strawberries bearing the mutant bacteria show a much reduced susceptibility to frost damage. At the time they were first carried out, the initial open-field trials triggered an intense debate because they represented the first release into the environment of an organism that had been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology. Indeed, all preliminary experiments were carried out with extreme caution and in strict containment (Figure $Q 10-16$ ). Do you think that bacteria lacking the ice-protein could be isolated without the use of modern DNA technology? Is it likely that such mutations have already occurred in nature? Would the use of a mutant bacterial strain isolated from nature be of lesser concern? Should we be concerned about the risks posed by the application of recombinant DNA techniques in agriculture and medicine? Explain your answers.
Nathan W.
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