ARTificial SELECTION

Topic: Artificial selection has resulted in plants that are more disease-resistant, cows that produce more milk, and racehorses that run faster. One must wonder what will come next. In the blog entry answer the following question - under what circumstances should humans be artificially selecting plants or animals, if any?

Here is a video that gives a quick very brief introduction to evolution and natural/artificial selection:

Natural selection, originally introduced by the scientist Charles Darwin, is the process in which favorable traits are carried on through a species' offspring. the individuals with these favorable traits usually have either a better chance of survival or have a better chance of attracting a mate or producing offspring, thus their favorable traits get passed on and evolution does it part in changing the traits of a certain population or species. This is also referred to as survival of the fittest, meaning that only those with the best traits and the best genes will survive. This change in genetics usually occurs naturally from mutations of pressing elements that force the species to evolve.

Unlike natural selection, artificial selection is the tampering or forced creation of offspring of a certain population to exhibit specific desired traits. These offspring will have traits that help make them more disease resistant, bear larger fruits, or bear a certain phenotypic trait. Scientists all over the world use their knowledge of artificial selection to modify species of both plants and create species that they find more efficient of beneficial. Artificial selection has led to vegetables that bear more harvested produce (bigger heads of cabbage, larger lettuce leaves), fruits bearing no seeds (infertility in the fruits), and animals growing bigger muscles. With the modification of these traits, farmers can sell their produce for more profit, and with more produce, more people can buy goods for a considerable amount cheaper. Although the trade-offs for these new traits come at the price. Are drastically reduced fertility rates in plants, and some rare genetic disorders in animals worth it? I certain would say so.

With artificial selection scientists have modified the genes of dogs to better suit the needs of those who need them. For example, dogs that are needed in the far north need to have thicker coats and more endurance to pull the sleighs of their owners. Police dogs are bred with specific individuals to insure their offspring have the highest sense of smell possible, and have all the strength and dexterity needed to fulfill their police needs, and hunting dogs are bred to have better hunting instincts and very sharp senses. Also, a significant source of benefit from artificial selection that is more noticeable is in dairy cows. With artificial selection certain breeds of dairy cows can now produce almost three times the amount of milk that they could previously. This breakthrough has lead to more efficient farms and the increase in dairy production all across North America. Not only has artificial selection helped us benefit with practical functions in animals, but it also given us commercial and cosmetic aspects to many animals too. An example of this is the extravagant breeds show pigeons. All pigeons originated from the rock dove, or common street pigeon. Through artificial selection the bird has diversified and branched off into a plethora of different breeds, showcased in bird shows. This picture illustrates the vast diversity and complexity of artificial selection in show pigeons. I myself used to own three show pigeons, and thought it was amazing at how they all were so different but were of the same species.

I believe that artificial selection has opened up a world of possibilities for us that are just waiting to be discovered. Looking at the world now and at the ways artificial selection has already helped us benefit from its application makes me wonder what could possibly be next. As long as artificial selection has beneficial outcomes, and little or no side effects, i firmly believe that it is something defiantly worth doing, as it help benefit our world.

Works Cited:

http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/life/session5/closer1.html
http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/life/session5/closer1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_selection
http://www.biology-online.org/2/12_selective_breeding.htm

I'll Have a Green Eyed Baby Boy With Brown Hair, Hold the Chest Hair Please.

Hmm, getting to pick whether or not you child has a genetic disease or not? Okay. Choosing weather what gender my child is? Okay. Choosing what hair or eye color my child has? Okay now, THAT’S too far. “Designer Babies” may be a very quickly growing topic in the scientific world, but ethically, is it really worth it? I’m all for it if its insuring that the new born children have no genetic diseases, and I’m willing to go as far as choosing gender, but choosing cosmetic traits like hair and eye color? Now that’s just wrong. If anything like that were to happen, imagine how little diversity there would be in the world, since people would only pick the traits that they want for their children. A funny way of looking at it is comparing babies with Mr. Potato Head toys. Instead of letting nature chose what your babies is going to look like you more or less just take whatever you want a put it on to your baby, just like a Mr. Potato Head toy.

Scientists have recently come up with a form of screening embryos for genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome. To do this they go through a process called InVitro Fertilization. A process in which eggs are combined with sperms in “test tubes” outside of the mothers body and monitored and checked to insure not distinguishable genetic disorders are present in the embryo. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis is the process where they select only the disease free cells and implant them back into the mother womb. This part is like taking all the Mr. Potato Head pieces you have, and throwing away all the deformed and badly manufactured parts, and keeping only the parts that you need. There is also a process called germ line therapy which replaces the faulty DNA in embryos with healthy DNA. The DNA removed in germ line therapy would be the DNA that courses genetic disorders. However this process is illegal while gene cell therapy, changing the faulty DNA in grown organisms, a equally dangerous and less effective method, is legal.

New InVitro Fertilization specialist report that the results of their work yield an almost 100% success rate, and that some time in the near future they will be able to sustain technology capable of yielding steady results on increasing the likeliness of certain hair and eye color. However the cost of getting a designer baby is close to $20 000! this would mean that only the higher portion of society would be able to afford designer babies. Here is a video that sums up the results of the ethical challenges designer babies would pose, and just how it would challenge society.

Designer babies pose a very big ethical question into society. I believe that using InVitro Fertilization technology and Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnostics are only good when used for non cosmetic purposes, like insuring children do not have genetic disorders and even insure your baby is the gender of choice. What it all comes down to really is a matter of ethics and personal beliefs. Some may argue that I am going too far by saying the gender selection is okay, some may say that I am not going far enough. Designer babies is a very controversial topic that involves self inquiry and research for one to full form and educated opinion on it. For me, I’ll just say using the techno logy for cosmetic purposes is unethical and should not be practiced.

SPACE INVADERS!! Here to dwindle you biodiversity =)

Topic: Many scientists consider humans as the most invasive species, as humans can greatly change an environment and impact the living things that reside there. Are we being stewards of the world? Take a look at an issue in which human intervention has positively or negatively affected the biodiversity of our ecosystems.

Since the age of colonization, humans have come into areas previously inhabited by other species; plant, animal, and insect alike, and invaded their natural habitats which they had lived on for centuries before us. As we invade their homes and strip the land they once lived on of all its natural qualities, we force the animals, plants, and insects to either move to a new unfamiliar habitat or try and cope with the changes, both of which are very difficult. Since humans invade and colonize faster than the nature can adjust to, this causes much stress among all branches of wildlife. This is evident through the numerous articles and advertisemments we may see about deforestation escalating, while animal populations decline and more and more species become endangered every day.

Despite the numerous warnings and signs of our negative effects on numerous natural habitats, we, humanity as a whole, remain incredulous to the fact that we are not being proper stewards to the earth. Instead, we are taking as we please, forcing the natural equilibrium to shift off balance resulting in the decline and extinction of countless species.

Currently, extinction is happening 1000 times faster than it was for the past 100 000 years. With this decline in population in the numerous affected species around the world, biodiversity is at great risk. Without biodiversity, all the affected species will become more prone to extinction if there is an outbreak in some new kind of virus or parasite. Although extinction is a natural part of the life cycle, it is happening far too quickly for nature to make adaptations. For example, Emperor Tamarins are a type of primate that disperse seeds in the rainforests from things it has eaten around the rainforest. Because it spreads the seeds of whatever fruit it has eaten, it allows plants to also spread and grow in a multitude of different places. However, this breed of primate is near extinction, and without its seed

spreading, many rainforest plants may suffer. Also, when humans tear down trees, and strip the land of its fertility, they are cutting off the roaming grounds of many predators, and creating openings for others. Large carnivorous animals need a vast roaming ground to hunt for their prey. By creating new roads and subdivisions we are cutting off their hunting grounds and as a result of this, the roaming grounds of two or more of the same species may overlap. When the roaming grounds of large predators overlap, they may become very territorial and attack anything they see as invasive. This may pose as a problem to the animal attacking as well, as fighting can lead them to injury or death. By creating new openings for other predators, other animals (their prey) may become too vulnerable. Examples of this are all ground nesting birds becoming too exposed to raccoons. If humans continue to affect the biodiversity and cut off roaming grounds of animals, than not only will we see their number dwindle even farther, but we will defiantly see some un wanted extinctions of many animals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhuLInfisuE - Please watch this video for a better visual on whats happening to certain animals around the world.

Humans as a whole may been seen as a destructive species towards the planet, but there are individuals out their truly giving a valid effort to change the planet. People like David Suzuki and Mary Ward’s own Chaput-Ross are good examples of people who are living a life that promotes the health and prosperity of the planet. David Suzuki shows an unassailable belief that humanity can better itself to become more nurturing stewards of the earth. He has done a lot to promote a more “Green” lifestyle, as seen on his website: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/. Local zoos and wilderness reserves and all the people that work for/on them are all doing their part also. Zoos and nature reserves are a key benefactor in insuring that certain species are kept from becoming extinct, seeing as how certain species are only bred under captivity. Also, while insuring that some natural habitats are unaffected by human invention, nature reserves double as an area where certain animals, plants, and insects can reproduce and try to increase the biodiversity of said species. However, just because people are trying to help nature and preserve wildlife doesn't mean

we can slack off and forget our duties. We must all try to make small little changes in our lives tobetter the lives of all of the earths inhabitants, meaning we should try to create better habitats for the earth reaming animals who’s biodiversities have been greatly affected in the last century by our fast paced life styles and desire for more than we need.

If you look at the world as a whole, and examine each species carefully, it seems to as if humans are the equivalent to the parasites of the planet. As humans, we take what we need from the planet, and give nothing in return. We cut down more trees than we plant, we emit more carbon dioxide than the plants of the Earth can control, and we slaughter and kill animals to our liking without thinking of the implications. As the stewards of the earth,

we must reciprocate all of the things nature gives us. All though there are people out there trying to make a difference and trying to help the planet, their actions may go unseen and unnoticed. So order to make a difference to make the world a better place for us all, we must send out a message that we, all of humanity, need to make a change in our daily life styles. We need to make a conscious decision that will lead to great and favorable repercussions, because even the smallest decisions can lead to a world of change.

Works Cited:

• http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2007/12/understanding-habitat-loss-and-fragmentation-in-terrestrial-environments/


• http://www.prairiefrontier.com/pages/butterflies/endangered.html


• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitat_destruction


• http://biologybiozine.com/articles/unit-8-animals/the_loss_of_biodiversity.php

• http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/