The topic of the talk entitled “The intended consequences of helping nature thrive” is protecting rare species from extinction. One of the methods used to ensure that endangered species do not become extinct is genetic engineering which helps to enhance the resilience of animals to natural factors. Whatever bad associations genetic engineering has, the trouble is that without it, it is difficult to reproduce endangered species since it can only be done through inbreeding, which leads to lower diversity due to genetic drift (Phelan). Consequently, animals born thanks to inbreeding have lower fertility and higher mortality rates.
Genetic engineering allows introducing new genetic variations which serve to breed healthier and more resilient species. Genetic engineering starts with sequencing and biobanking which are the first steps of gene editing (Phelan). However, due to the fears the technology incurs it is not commonly used. The success stories of genetic engineering are not widely known though recently the technology helped to reintroduce many species on the American land.
The most unexpected thing I learned from the talk is that genetic engineering is actually used to save endangered species and that the animals with new genes have advantages over those born through inbreeding in terms of resilience and lower mortality rates. The talk challenges my prior viewpoint on genetic engineering as a dangerous technology people try to keep away from and allows me to learn about the new methods of breeding rare species.
Genetic engineering is a modern branch of biotechnology that combines knowledge, techniques and techniques from a whole block of related sciences — genetics, biology, chemistry, virology, and so on — to obtain new hereditary properties of organisms. Genotypes are rearranged by making changes to DNA (a macromolecule that provides storage, transmission from generation to generation and the implementation of a genetic program for the development and functioning of living organisms) and RNA (one of the three main macromolecules contained in the cells of all living organisms) (Yalew et al., 2020).
When scientists introduce new genes into a plant, a microorganism, an animal or even a human organism, they endow it with a new desirable characteristic that it has never possessed before. To this end, genetic engineering is used in many areas today.
Genomic research is widely used to develop programs for the restoration of populations of extremely small species. Currently, genomic technologies are used to develop protocols for the genetic management of animal populations. Genome-wide sequencing provides information about SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and STR markers (short tandem repeats consisting of one or more (usually up to six) pairs of nucleotides directly adjacent to each other, the number of which in a particular locus differs in individuals of the same species (Yalew et al., 2020). The technology allows researchers to study the genetic structure of populations, kinship relationships between individuals in them, identify individual individuals, as well as reliably determine their sex. Genomic technologies are used, firstly, to optimize breeding programs, and secondly, to reintroduce animals into the wild with the maximum possible genetic diversity, because this is the key to their survival.
References
Phelan, R. The intended consequences of helping nature thrive. [Tedtalks]. Web.
Yalew, K., Gelaye, A., & Fesseha, H. (2020). Genetic engineering application in animal breeding-review. Technology, 32(4). Web.