Genetically modified animals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Genetically modified animals - Research Paper Example It is imperative to modify the DNA of the germ line cells during the process of creating genetically modified animals. By modifying the DNA of germline cells, it becomes easier for the modified DNA to be inheritable (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). While introducing the foreign DNA, it is necessary to consider only those that have the capacity to differentiate into different cells of an adult animal. Besides, the embryonic stem (ES) cells and cells of embryos at very early stages might also be considered for the process of creating genetically modified animals. Even though such cells are post-zygotic, they clearly represent a development phase characterized by incomplete separation of the germline and the soma (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). In essence, such cells usually have the capacity to give rise to both the germline and somatic cells. Apparently, a transgenic animal is normally produced when a foreign DNA molecule is introduced into the cell of an animal through artificial means. The transgene (the foreign DNA molecule) may contain just one or several genes. The transgenic animal produced upon inserting a transgene into the already fertilized cells or oocyte from the early embryo, will be able to transmit the foreign DNA in its germline (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). ... Incidentally, gene targeting has only been possible in mice while efforts to employ it in other mammals have proven futile (Forman, 2010). The design of several new animal of human disease has been necessitated by the ability of the transgenic mice to perform specific changes in a prearranged or predetermined gene via gene targeting. In addition, other experimental approach that involves genetic manipulation of various animal species has highly influenced the genetic engineering procedure (Forman, 2010). The somatic cell nuclear transfer procedure has ushered in a new era in mammalian genetics. For the first time in history, the procedure approved the cloning of an adult mammal. Social and Ethical Implications Various social groups have come out as the strongest opponents of the efforts to adopt the genetically modified animals. For example, different religious groups consider GMOs as a gross violation of the fundamental tenets that have kept society moving (Nelson 2001). Incidentall y, many of the religious faiths believe in creation. However, a scenario where man seems to have the powers to create or even modify an animal generally violates the values, ethics, and morals associated with the society. Today, most scientists are finding it much easier to interbreed and genetically manipulate the organism following the discovery of DNA. In essence, biomedical scientists can now build animals at the microscopic level (Nelson 2001). This scenario goes against Christian or even the Islamic faith as they always believe the power to create organisms is a reserve of the Supreme Being. On social grounds, vets now find it easier and even economical to treat

Individual Critical Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Individual Critical Reflection - Essay Example To the best of our abilities, members of the group adhered to Saunder's (2007) advice regarding primary data collection and sampling procedures. In retrospect, however, and having read much more on data collection, I would have approach the procedure differently. In the first place, in order to ensure the reliability and validity of the primary data, I would have requested permission to audio-record the interviews from the respondents. Not only would this have preserved the respondents' answers as given, rather than their subsequent, possibly biased, reinterpretation from interview notes drawn up by the researchers, but would have evidenced the validity of the data. Further to that, I would also followed Miles and Huberman's (2005) advice concerning the establishment of construct validity. Insofar as the aforementioned necessitates the establishment of a chain of evidence throughout the data collection process, audio-taping the interviews would have been important. It would also have necessitated presenting the respondents with a copy of the study for their review and the verification of information through several sources of information. This process is, needless to say, infinitely more time-consuming than that which we adopted for the purposes of this study and, definitely more complex. Nevertheless, given the extent to which it would have contributed to the validation of the study and allowed for the generalisation of its findings, I would have chosen to adhere to this strategy. Individual Contribution Working as part of a team is complicated and, more often than not, a source of extreme tension. It entails trusting a part of one's grade, one's future, to others and, by no means, is this easy to do. Therefore, even though all the team members did their part and none were left holding the slack of others, I personally prefer doing my work myself. For this reason, I had no objections whatsoever to the workload assigned to me by the group leader, despite the fact that it somewhat exceeded the work load assigned to other team members. As a matter of fact, considering that I wanted to achieve the highest grade possible on the team project, I actively welcomed any work assigned to me, knowing that I will do my best to ensure that it meets with the highest standards possible, at least to the best of my ability. It is, thus, that I took responsibility for critical sections in the literature review; more specifically, I researched and wrote the parts ob coffee shops and Fairtrade products. I also was responsible for designing and completing the time-table, writing the interview permission letters required for the purposes of gaining permission to conduct interviews with employees of fair-trade companies, processing the primary data using SPSS, answering all the objective questions and finalising the work of other team members. As I noted at the outset, I often did more than my share but I did it on a voluntary basis as, quite honestly, the more work I did for the project, the more reassured I was regarding quality. Given that, from my perspective at least, the work submitted by other group members displayed substantial effort and high quality, I have to admit that the problem lies with me. I have not yet learnt to