Project 3 Proposal: The Affects of Genetic Engineering on Human Life Expectancy

As a pre-medical student, I know a good deal about the human body, and take its efficiency, durability, and strength for granted. What has truly fascinated me, however, is how a complex organism like Homo sapiens only requires a simple mechanism to keep track of all of its physical traits.

When examining DNA, it is important to note that it consists of four different compounds arranged along two separate strands. To the untrained viewer, the sequence in which the compounds appear may seem arbitrary, yet as we have all learned—whether you are a science major or not—there is nothing arbitrary about the human body. Everything happens for a reason. As it turns out, the sequence in which the compounds are bound together is the secret to DNA's coding properties. With this discovery in the twentieth century, a new scientific field emerged—genetic engineering—and showed great promise. Soon after, researchers from around the globe all began innovating, and the modern practice of genetic engineering was born.

During this research project, I aim to explain how genetic engineering has affected human life expectancy. This will involve answering questions such as can genetic engineering influence life expectancy in the first place? Were there genetic engineering methods before the advent of modern technology? What are the ethical and moral concerns of this practice? Will our innovation reach a point where we can become immortal? Are there alternative means that will similarly affect life expectancy? Overall, these questions will help to develop my thoughts on genetic engineering and lead me to formulate a conclusion, yet I should say beforehand that I am already biased in my prediction of the end result. Having done research in similar areas before, I expect to see that there will be an increase in life expectancy, corresponding to the use of genetic engineering. Based on the little research I have done thus far, my prediction holds true, and it can assumed that progressive use of genetic engineering will lead to an exponential increase in human life expectancy.

As a final note, I don't expect to run into many problems during my research. In fact, unless I come across a shortage in data, I don't believe there are any other possible problems. Of course, if I do stumble upon one, I believe it will be beneficial for me to describe it in the final paper.

Annotated Bibliography

• Benetos, Athanase et. al. "Telomere Length as an Indicator of Biological Aging: The Gender Effect and Relation With Pulse Pressure and Pulse Wave Velocity." Hypertension 37.2 (2001): 381-85. Hypertension. American Heart Association, Feb. 2001. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://tinyurl.com/4epk32o>.

In this scientific study, Athanase Benetos and his team examined telomere length as a possible indicator of a human's age. It was found that telomere length is inversely correlated with a subject's age, indicating that the longer the telomere segment, the younger and perhaps even the healthier a person is. While this article includes little, if any information on genetic engineering, it does provide valuable background information on the aging process, which as noted in Leon Kass's report, is an important factor when evaluating life span.

• Farrar, Lara. "Scientists: Humans and Machines Will Merge In Future." CNN Tech. CNN, 15 Jan. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2011 <http://tinyurl.com/5u2azya>.

Written by Lara Farrar, this article matches one of the points that I wish to investigate during my research: the possibility of man becoming immortal by merging with machines. On the contrary, the article is fairly short and only discusses the possibility of a Gibsonian style human-computer combination in the last two paragraphs. So, while I may be able to pull some information out, it may be wise for me to find another article.

• "Genetically Modified Organism." Environmental Encyclopedia. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://tinyurl.com/4z59zpt>.

This article explains genetic engineering at a basic level, and shows how it is used in various fields (pharmaceuticals, agriculture, etc.) Furthermore, it discusses the use of genetic engineering before the advent of modern science, which may prove to be a useful discussion point later on. Most importantly, however, it illustrates several pros and cons of genetic engineering. I believe that I will draw upon this article a lot when drafting my paper.

• Hodge, Russ. Genetic Engineering: Manipulating the Mechanisms of Life. New York: Facts on File, 2009. EBook.

Russ Hodge's Book begins with a broad discussion of several theories associated with genetics—Mendelian inheritance, natural selection, and evolution. While these first chapters may be useful for small amounts of research, I doubt that I will use them for broad support. In fact, I am only interested in the preceding chapters which cover genetic engineering, along with ethics and chronology. For the most part, however, the information covered in this book seems to only reiterate what Leon Kass's said in his report. So, I may replace this source during the actual drafting of the paper.

• Kass M.D., Leon R. Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. Rep. LSU Law Center. Oct. 2003. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://tinyurl.com/45lhjy9>.

Leon Kass outlines many ways in which a human can be modified, whether it is through invasive "genetic manipulation" or the non-invasive selection of embryos. Although the report doesn't seem to propose any new aspects of genetic engineering to write from, it instead deeply describes topics such as the aging process—perhaps the most critical element to understand when examining life expectancy. Additionally, it analyzes the moral and ethical aspects of genetic engineering that other literature may not cover.

• Thompson, Tamara. "Social Implications Of Life Extension Debated." How Far Should Science Extend the Human Lifespan? Greenhaven, 2009. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. <http://tinyurl.com/68wg8zk>.

This article begins with the announcement that life expectancy may increase by several decades in the near future. Yet, after this dissertation Tamara Thompson begins to describe the affects that could arise from a lengthened lifespan, including living in a world where the generation gaps were almost nonexistent and children could "be born 40 to 50 years apart." By listing all the downsides of an increase in life expectancy, this article will provide the opportunity to seek out counterpoints to discuss in my paper.