ELS Q2.

M5
BENEFITS OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (REFLECTION PAPER)

BENEFITS OF GENETIC ENGINEERING

According to what I’ve read about the topic, genetic engineering means the process of
changing the DNA in living organisms to create something new. It will involve artificial
manipulation, modification, and recombination of DNA or other nucleic acid molecules to
modify an organism or population of organisms. It is the process to alter the structure and
nature of genes in human beings, animals, or foods using techniques like molecular cloning
and transformation. In other words, it is the process of adding or modifying DNA in an
organism to bring about a great deal of transformation. Genetic engineering involves the
direct manipulation of one or more genes. Most often, a gene from another species is added
to an organism's genome to give it the desired phenotype.
The main purpose of engineering is to allow scientists to select one specific gene to
implant. This avoids introducing other genes with undesirable traits. Genetic engineering also
helps speed up the process of creating new foods with desired traits. There are various
benefits of genetic engineering. The first is defeating diseases. Some of the most deadly and
difficult diseases in the world that have so resisted destruction could be wiped out by the use
of genetic engineering. The second, is getting Rid of All Illnesses in Young and Unborn Children.
One of the main benefits of genetic engineering is that it can help cure diseases and illnesses
in unborn children. All children would be able to be born healthy and strong, with no diseases
or illnesses present at birth. And lastly is for faster growth in animals and plants. The growth
rate in animals and plants can be genetically modified to mature promptly. The crops can be
engineered to survive in unfavorable conditions such as high heat or low light or increase crop
yield and animals can also be genetically modified in case of improving production.
With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA and
improve the human race.
ELS Q2. M8
PROCESS OF EVOLUTION

Evolution is a process that results in changes in the genetic material of a population over
time. Evolution reflects the adaptations of organisms to their changing environments and can
result in altered genes, novel traits, and new species. It is the change in the characteristics of a
species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.
Evolution has not only been in process for a long time, but it is also still going on today.
Evolution has had many different effects on modern living and the way that people live their
lives. The most important effect that evolution has had is it allowed life to continue and grow,
so inherent cells were able to replicate themselves, and new species developed to fill a niche
previously unsearched by an organism or another species of organism. At this point, humans
are the only living thing on the planet to have developed a sustainable complex civilization.
There are many different theories as to how evolution has come to be and how it is going to
end. These theories include; natural selection, random mutations, and genetic drift. Natural
selection is one of the two main theories that help explain how evolution works. Natural
selection is what allows organisms to compete with other organisms for survival. Organisms
that have various characteristics that make them more likely to survive, will have an advantage
over those organisms that do not have those characteristics. This means that over time, we
should see creatures with traits we find favorable.
I have also learned that Charles Darwin, which is the father of evolution, defined evolution
as "descent with modification," the idea that species change over time, give rise to new
species, and share a common ancestor.
ELS Q2. M10
INTERACTION AND INTERDEPENDENCE

Interaction and interdependence are two important relationships in nature. Ecology is the
branch of biology that deals with the study of these relationships of interaction and
interdependence between living things and their environment. The area wherein living things
associate with each other and with their environment is known as the ecosystem. Association
among species helps shape the ecosystem.
I believe that ecosystem comprises all living and non-living things that interact with each
other in a given territory. Every living piece of an ecosystem, for example, animals, plants, and
other living beings are called biotic factors. Living organisms interact in the ecosystem to
obtain food to survive. Their interactions can be used to classify them as producers,
consumers, and decomposers. The non-living parts of an ecosystem are called abiotic factors.
Living creatures in a biological system can't be separated independently from the abiotic or
non-living components in their natural surroundings. In ecology, a biological interaction is an
effect that a pair of organisms living together in a community have on each other. They can be
either of the same species (intraspecific interactions), or of different species (interspecific
interactions). A long-term interaction is called symbiosis. There are 3 major types of biological
interaction which is the mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism. While an interdependence
is a living thing that interacts with other organisms in their environment and needs other
organisms to survive. Besides food chains, shelter, nutrients, and cover are all examples of
interdependence in nature as well. In the temperature forest, birds rely on trees to create
nests for their eggs. Snakes rely on the leaves and ground coloration to camouflage
themselves from both predator and prey.
 I’ve learned that every living thing relies upon one another and their environment. No living
creature could make due all alone without relying upon different living beings and their
environment.