Contemporary Issues

It seems that information about genome is a common property. Should it be used by private corporations to make money? Some believe it should not. Scientific research of human genome requires great costs. If the firm doesn’t have any profit then it has no goal in investing and achievements (even those made for money) still can be beneficial for many persons. There is no deny that Celera’s input in science development is significant. Celera has used different method for sequencing DNA (generally speaking instead of sequencing succeeding fragments of the genome, the whole DNA was cut into pieces, then each piece was sequenced and arranged in the proper order)and it seems to be a faster method. Rivalry forces looking for better solutions.

It is important, however, to have a counterbalance for private firms – scientists who act in the interest of mankind and have a great influence on the progress of events.

Discovering the sequence of human DNA is the first step for understanding how our bodies function. It is only the beginning, as the information about the sequence doesn’t tell much about how the genes act and how they are regulated. This knowledge could revolutionize medicine as well as many other fields. It will certainly have a great influence on human life. The ability to control the genes is an ability to decide upon the look of organism, and for longer distance ability to influence the evolution. For the first time, the human being could control his own genes, and stop being under their control as it always was the case.

This achievement caught public attention and caused many discussions about hopes and fears connected with genetics. We are afraid mainly because we don’t know what to expect and ethical and law solutions do not follow appearing new possibilities.

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