Please help! I've been working on this since forever...
So, I've got a conclusion and everything for my research paper, I just have to make it longer. I have 3 pages, but not 3 full pages, so what more information can I add to make it longer? Any links will be of great help. Here it is:
We find it in the super market shelves mixed with our food, and growing in a plot down the lane. It is variously known as genetic engineering, which is a technology in which the genome of a living cell is modified for medical or industrial use. It’s used in our everyday life in agriculture, medicine, and industry. The question is: Is it a blessing, or a threat?
Today, genetic altering can prevent and treat diseases, and improve food. Perhaps in the future, genetic defects in female cells can be changed, such as the reinsertion of correct genes.
Genetic engineering techniques have been successful many times. For example, crop plants can be genetically engineered to have favorable characteristics, including improved yields and resistance to herbicides and destructive pests. Genetically engineered growth hormones increase milk production in dairy cows and weight gain in cattle and hogs. Cloning has also been effective. In 1997, a lamb named Dolly was successfully cloned. Transgenic animals can be cloned and used to make proteins that are useful in medicine.
Genetic engineering can improve life by giving us more nutritious crops and animals, with improved characteristics. The modification of the DNA structures of agricultural crops can increase the growth rates and even resistance to different diseases caused by pathogens and parasites. This is extremely beneficial as it can greatly increase the production of food sources with the usage of fewer resources that would be required to host the world's growing populations. These modified crops would also reduce the usage of chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, and therefore decrease the harshness and frequency of the damages produced by these chemical pollutions. Most of the food we eat is somehow connected to genetic engineering. In fact, about 60 percent of our food has some sort of biotechnology in it. By taking traits from one organism and putting it into a food, the food can be altered in many ways, like having it last longer, taste better, and grow faster and larger. It can also be designed to be more immune to certain diseases. With less farmers and a greater need of food, genetic engineering can be the rescuer for this major field.
Genetic engineering can also be used to manufacture human proteins for use as drugs and to make safer and more effective vaccines. Some human genetic disorders are also being treated with gene therapy. Many medicines and treatments are available only because of this technology. Today, there are drugs and vaccines which have the ability to treat cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and arthritis. This industry has the potential to do things many other drugs can't. Other ways genetic engineering helps in healthcare used a bacterium to produce a medically useful chemical.
The ability of bacteria to produce chemicals can be used in other areas as well such as in the cheese industry. Also, genetically related advances and business is flourishing.
Even though genetic engineering can improve our life in many ways, it also has some risk factors. Many people, including scientists, have expressed concern that genetically modified crops might turn out to be dangerous. Some food crops such as corn and soybeans have been genetically rendered resistant to a weed killer named glyphosate that is harmless to humans. When used on a food crop, it will kill the weeds but not harm the crop, increasing food crop yields. Some scientists are concerned that the use of GM crops and the use of glyphosate will eventually lead to glyphosate-resistant weeds, which will leave farmers with few alternatives. Also, GM foods can increase the risk of allergic reactions by transferring allergens from one food to another -- and without labeling, the avoidance of potential allergens becomes a dangerous crop shoot. Lastly, Fresh-looking, brightly colored GE foods may actually be weeks old, with compromised nutritional value. Even FDA scientists warned the agency that genetic engineering could result in "undesirable alteration in the level of nutrients" of GE foods.
Overall, the advantages of genetic engineering overcome the few disadvantages it has, and therefore I think that it’s helpful when making more crops and medicine. Perhaps in the future, there will be no risk factors at all, and we will find more uses of genetic altering. For now, the final decision lays with every individual on how they feel about this controversial issue.
Thanks
-MC
ARRRRRGGGGGG. " the final decision lays with ....on how they feel
Isn't that sentence rather wishy washy? Your thesis was..."Is it a blessing, or a curse?" YOu didn't state anything about how the reader "feels". Goodness, sign up for Cop out University.
YOu missed a good point you made before: the hazards are potential, speculative, and might be downers. That would be a nice thing to reiterate in the conclusion: blessings, with potential problems coming up in the future, but none have shown up to date.
I don't quite understand what you're saying in the last part...can you please further explain?
Also, can you then tell me what to put in my conclusion? I'm so lost!
-MC
It looks like you have a good start to your research paper on genetic engineering. To make it longer, you can consider adding more information and examples to support your points. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Expand on the benefits of genetic engineering in agriculture: You mentioned that crop plants can be genetically engineered for improved yields and resistance to pests. You can explore specific examples of genetically modified crops, such as insect-resistant Bt cotton or virus-resistant papayas, and explain how they have had a positive impact on agricultural productivity.
2. Discuss the use of genetic engineering in medicine: In your paper, you briefly mentioned gene therapy and the production of human proteins for drugs. Consider delving deeper into these topics to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how genetic engineering is revolutionizing the field of medicine. You can discuss specific examples of successful gene therapies or explore the potential of genome editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9.
3. Examine the ethical considerations of genetic engineering: While you briefly touched upon some concerns, such as the risk of allergenicity and potential nutritional alterations, you can further explore the ethical implications and societal debates surrounding genetic engineering. Discuss arguments for and against genetic modification, examine regulations or policies in different countries, and consider how public opinion shapes the future of this technology.
4. Provide historical context and milestones in genetic engineering: You mentioned the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, but you could expand on the historical developments and breakthroughs in genetic engineering. This could include discussing the discovery of DNA, the development of recombinant DNA technology, or the progression of gene-editing techniques from zinc fingers to CRISPR.
5. Include current research and future prospects: To make your paper more up-to-date, add recent studies, breakthroughs, or controversies in the field of genetic engineering. This can include new applications or emerging technologies, such as gene drives or gene therapy for inherited diseases. Discuss the potential impact of these advancements on society and the environment.
For additional information and resources, you can try searching academic databases like PubMed or Google Scholar for research articles related to genetic engineering. Websites of reputable scientific organizations like the National Academy of Sciences or the World Health Organization can also provide reliable information on the topic. Remember to always critically evaluate the credibility of your sources and cite them properly in your paper.
Good luck with your research paper!