Come Together: the Dangers of DNA

Very recently I read the book Watchers by Dean Koontz, and the story caused me to think. With all of the new discoveries being made today, could the situation of making a super intelligent dog or a blood-thirsty monkey-beast ever happen. Already there are many tests being done to search for ways rearranging DNA can help cure patients of life-threatening diseases, but people may not be content at just solving this problem. While the possibilities of this happening are pretty slim, there is always the chance that it may happen. So, today I am going to take a look into the mysterious world of DNA research and the high points and pitfalls of the research.

The first point I will be looking at today is the possible benefits of the research, symbolized by the dog from the book, named Einstein. Einstein is a golden retriever, who has been genetically altered to have the same level of intelligence as a human being, but still looks like a normal dog. Einstein was created to function sort-of as a furry spy, for example, to be given to a rival countries leader, who would not expect a dog to have the intelligence to be a spy, and have the dog steal the countries secrets. That is the most intense of the tasks the dog would have to perform, with the least intense being a great source of entertainment at parties. Einstein's intelligence was upgraded by placing the genes that would most likely increase the dogs intelligence without causing physical mutation into his genetic code, and by also deleting the genes that would limit his intelligence, over the course of several generations. Einstein was one part of a project called the Francis Project, and was considered the success of the project. All the workers loved Einstein and treated him with the best care they could give him. The possibility of a super smart dog both intrigues me and frightens me. While it would be really cool to have a dog that was intelligent enough to understand a person and have a conversation with them, I would really hate it if I was struggling with my homework and my dog came in and did it for me. There are also other practical uses beyond the coolness factor. An extremely smart dog could be even better seeing eye dogs, being able to think with more than just what they have been taught, to help people who are being rehabilitated for illnesses, or to even help the military when they go into dangerous areas and to help locate enemies. The increased intelligence also could give the dog a moral compass, with the dog being able to differentiate between right and wrong, leading to the dog making better decisions for the situation, possibly saving someones life or helping to stop crimes. The possibilities are endless, with many benefits possible. If a dog like Einstein could be created, then possibly all inheritable diseases, like cystic fibrosis and certain types of cancers, could be all but eliminated from a person's DNA over time.

Like all risks, with a good side, there must be a bad side. Let me introduce the bad side, also known as The Outsider. Where Einstein represented everything that was good and a success with the Francis project, The Outsider was the failure and knew it. Genetically altered like Einstein, The Outsider went through many of the same procedures as Einstein to increase his intelligence, but mutations were encouraged. The Outsider was bred to be a killing machine, and mutations including razor-sharp claws, over sized jaw, and long multi-jointed arms helped it to accomplish this. The mutations also gave it a grotesque appearance that made me think of Grendel in Beowulf when I imagined it. The Outsider knew it was ugly and was feared by the scientists who created him, but he also knew that the scientists loved Einstein. This knowledge gave The Outsider a unquenchable desire to do nothing but kill Einstein, causing many of the situations in the book. This shows that there are also negative consequences to DNA research: if you don't arrange the genes right, a monster that wants to kill you could be created. The possible risks are not worth the benefits in some cases, like this. The Outsider was created to help soldiers in war, but if it went wild, like it did in the book, how could anyone be sure that it wouldn't kill its allies? Similarly, if the DNA research was used to stop one disease, it could possibly make another disease more incurable or even deadlier. These are the questions that researcher have to ask themselves when thinking about the possibilities of DNA research.

Science can build up a civilization and make it great or it can become its downfall. With all of the possible risks and benefits of DNA research, the call on whether to explore and use it or not is an extremely delicate issue in today's world. Watchers showed a good picture of the possibilities of the research and also the risks of the research, while also being a good story. Just keep what I've written in mind if you read it. I really wish I could just read a book without thinking about it anymore.