Biology Is Life !

Really? I'm the first? OK then. yeah synthetic bio is good. you could create a bacteria that fights cancer or AIDS or something else that's currently incurable.. you could "evolve" certain organisms to do jobs for us. powering cities by energy made by organisms is a pretty good start. eventually genetically engineered organisms may take are place in dangerous activities, such as wars and handling radioactive materials. we may even alter our selves to make these activities less dangerous.

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I don't think that synthetic biology is ethical. While messing around with certain geonomes someone might create some sort of dangerous invasive species. We might alter the food chain. If this species destroys all the fruit flies, let's say, all the animals that depend on fruit flies will have a harder time trying to survive. Then the other animals that depend on the struggling animal will have a hard time, etc. And if synthetic biology goes farther we might be seriously altering the environment without paying attention to the consequences. This is why I think synthetic biology is a bad idea.

Pros of Synthetic Bio.
 

I think the concept of human created life could be a good thing if done properly. I think it is moral and ethical because genetic engineering could create cures to diseases and save lives. Bacteria may be turned into the cure for cancer for all we know. You may be able to genetically change an organism to power big corporations and stores. This could be energy efficient and also helpful to our environment by conserving energy. There are so many opportunities for advancement in genetic engineering that the risks are slim. I think that genetic engineering is a good thing because it can help improve peoples lives.

This article is against genetic engineering because it is to dangerous.
 

It is kind of hard to say whether or not synthetic biology is ethical because it all depends on what you use it for. This can be good if you use it for things like bacterias that fight diseases. It can also be a bad thing if you use it to make dangerous animals. If it is used in the right way, it can change many peoples' lives. This synthetic biology is a big advancement in science, but for the most part I do thing this can be more of a bad thing rather than a very good thing.

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I don't believe that synthetic biology is necessarily a good thing and I don't find it to be ethical. Synthetic biologists aim to create more effective medicines, intelligent tumorseeking bacteria, and cheap biofuels. These are some of the hoped-for applications of this new science however some individuals fear this sciecne could be used to create new weapons of terror. Synthetic biology could lead to the creation of more lethal and virulent pathogens. Creating these new "weapons" of terror is the last thing this world needs. There is already enough haate in this world, I beleive that fueling with a new source of terror is the last thing we need right now.
For Synthetic Biology
 

I dont have too many problems with synthetic biology. I think its ok to a certain extent. once it gets out of control... well, lets just say there has to be a limit. i dont like the idea of making people, but there may be some exceptions... i am much more comfortable with bacteria and yeast being the synthesized things in this case. Its great that bacteria can be changed so that it can convert sunlight into electricity, but it has to remain on that small scale level until it is tested for a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time. better safe than sorry. Also there should be requirements as to what area all of this is occurring, and there should always be a large staff working on it at once, just in case something gets out of control.

but in general, i think its ok.

but these people dont think so...
 

I think it could be a good thing if its done right and for all right purpososes. depending on how religious you are it can be moral or not moral. but i believe that it is moral because it can create cures for diseases and save many's lives. you never know, bacteria could be the cause of a cure! you may use genetically created organisms to take care of of the poor and possibly care for homeless children such as in haiti.
this is useful because they do not need to consume so it would save energy. the risks are slim and the opportunities are big in the genetic engineering. i think its a good thing because it might just turn the lives that lack the luxury that we have today.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_engineering <-- clickk(:
 

Synthetic biology promises to enable cheap, lifesaving new drugs to treat the 350-500 million people who suffer from malaria, and to create innovative biofuels that can help solve the world’s energy problems. But the science and its applications are raising questions. Are synthetic biologists playing God? Are these scientists purposely changing the definition of what is life? Are synthetic biology researchers unintentionally equipping terrorists with frightening new biological weapons? And will synthetic biology’s expected products and profits be stymied by policymakers and the public who object to researchers’ soon-to-be-realized attempts to build life from scratch in a lab?
I for one, strongly disprove of synthetic biology, and believe that it is unethical. Most of where my opinion stems from is my being very religious, as well as the reasons I have already listed. I have seen enough science fiction movies to know that when people try and mess with mother nature...bad things happen.

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I have to agree with Zahraa on this one. I mean, in a way the biologists are "playing God" and I don't mean to sound cheezy or cliche, but if this technology did get into the wrong hands, it could cause a WORLDWIDE CATASTROPHE!! (JK!) But in actual terms, I don't really think that very ethical at all because if it does turn out to be an actual success, it might just become industrialized like everrything else is nowadays...

Ehh..Maybe?
 

The great thing about humans is that we have an innate need to advance ourselves and the environment around us - but there comes a point where it's a little too much. I feel synthetic biology has great potential to grow and develop into a huge part of our daily lives but right now I feel that it is not ethical to continue the practice of altering organisms to enhance human living because it can go over board way too fast. I do not feel the world is ready for this technology right now because we really do not understand it fully and the possible consequences of man-made organisms. The only argument against my opinion is that how can we know unless we try. I do not feel young scientists should be pursuing these types projects although they have made great progress in creating many useful BioBricks. Not trying to be a pessimist but it certainly can lead to major calamities down the road maybe even on the international terror scale such as using this technology as a biologic weapon. I really do not believe in synthetic and gene enhancing technologies because as much as humans try to control nature the more it will push back because nature has a way of correcting its mistakes by itself and evolving on its own. We do not need to tamper with things that are not broken in order to enhance human life. But if the decision is made that science will pursue this path of innovation, the consequences and impact on our environment should be thoroughly investigated before making a mistake that cannot be taken back.

Like the students from City College, many feel synthetic biology will revolutionize our lives and BioBricks will be the building blocks of a new taxonomic Kingdom of Synthetic organisms.
For Synthetic Biology Unlike my view, the article states that genetically altered organisms will protect and live symbiotically with humans. While I do not doubt these accomplishments are possible, I feel that at some point if not careful these accomplishments may be devastating for the human race.
 

I have mixed feelings on whether synthetic biology is ethical. It can be good if done properly. It depends on the what this is used for. I feel that people shouldn't try to alter things in nature. I think that things were created a certain way and should stay the way they are meant to be. When you start to mess with things then it becomes complicated and things can go wrong. Something unexpected and dangerous can develop while trying to improve something. People may also take advantage of this and use it for the wrong reasons and cause. Although there are many negatives are are also multiple positives. Synthetic biology can alter an organism to possibly find the cure for diseases and help the environment.

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I believe the concept of “human created life” is over all a bad thing. Although with time, money, and a lot of luck it could result in a cure, I believe the bad side of it is substantially larger then the good side. I don’t believe it is moral or ethical, humans going in and changing the perfectly fine and natural ways of other organisms. From my point of view you are taking a perfect creature and twisting it into something that may have a slight chance of being helpful but is completely unnatural. In the wrong hands genetic engineering could be used for mass destruction. A new virus could be created to wipe out the entire human population. As in all experiments and tests like genetic engineering the results are unknown to an extent, something that seems great now could be the worst thing that ever came in contact with man in a few decades or longer. The long term effects of these new genetically engineered creations are unknown and potentially extremely harmful. To even attempt to genetically engineering something is extremely costly, as the article said up to $90,000. That amount of money could go to waste if nothing comes out of the project which is probably the most common result. I don’t believe we should be genetically engineering anything, the harmful results are to great to risk it.

If you don't agree with me...
 

Synthetic biology could be a good and useful thing. It could be ethical but it all depends on what you use it for. It could be a bad thing because it could create dangerous species. It would be a good thing if used fighting diseases. It could help us make advances in technology they we didn't even know we could make. It could help us in ways we didn't know about. But not knowing is a bad thing we need to research and test more risks. But there are slim chances of some risks.

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Synthetic biology can be either bad or good. There are may reasons why synthetic biology is good, how scientists can find cures for diseases that could never be cured before and how scientists can use new ways to aquire energy. However I feel that synthetic biology is not ethical because it is also creating life just by recreating genes. When a couple is able to have a child, they should do it the natural way which is not choosing specific genes so they can have a "perfect" child. Even though synthetic biology is a bad thing, it shows how advanced science is becoming in the world today. Also this synthetic biology is taking the genes from harmless organisms, which needs to end.

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I think that the use of synthetic biology is only ehtical to create smaller organisms. I think it should be only used to create organisms that help humans.I dont think that it should be used to create a completly new cat dog lizard bird combination animal. I do not think the creation of humans is ethical either i feel it will almost cheapen life. It will make humans expendable (which i guess in a way they already are) I think it will lead to some sort of clone trading as a person could order what kind of worker they wanted and chose every characterstic. Also the equilibrium of nature is very delicate if we create a new species then another might die off and then were going to have to create more and more species to counteract our previous imbalances. This article is for synthetic biology.
 

I do not agree with synthetic biology. I think things should be made or grown the way they normally are. I deffinetly don't think it is moral or ethical. We are just changing the normal way of life and growth. I feel as though we are changing life as it is. Why would you want to change the way life is now? I don't think that it is a great idea evolving or cloning things using this method. People may disagree and enjoy this idea, but to me its unreal and not "cool".


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I think that synthetic biology, like most things, is good and bad. This field of science could create cures for genetic diseases, like diabetes, and possibly eliminate them entirely. It could be used to create alternative fuels, eliminating some kinds of pollution. However, I do not think it is at all ethical to create human life with all of the exact characteristics we would like. I think it is important to let nature take its course in some areas and not have 100% artificial lives. Much more testing must be done to study long term effects of synthetic biology, as well as the extent of what you can do with this study.
Pros and Cons
 

I think that synthetic biology is a good thing. We can use this idea to create things like bacteria or something to that effect and give it to a cancer patient, and it may cure cancer. You can make organisms that will power cities, and maybe kind the economic crisis. However this could be a bad thing. If this idea is used the wrong way, things could get bad. It could harm the environment or even destroy us! So I am in the middle on this topic, it can go either way.


Everything about synthetic Biology
 

There are many things to consider before using synthetic biology. First, you need to know a definite purpose for the organism. Although it could cure some diseases and aid many, it may not work properly. I believe that synthetic biology is ethical because it would help many in need of urgent help. These organisms can be modified to do multiple things. You can first of all cure disease. Maybe even someday create armies of synthetic people to handle matters that are too dangerous for humans. Synthetic biology can be used for many purposes, good or bad, it just matters who has control over it. It may even be used against us in the future. I believe that it should be top-secret and only highly qualified scientists should be able to use it. Cons of Synthetic Biology
 

I think synthetic biology is in between ethical and unethical. Although the organism created can aid people in many ways, such as curing diseases,it might not be able to carry out the work it was programed to do correctly. But I somewhat believe that synthetic biology could be somewhat ethical because it could help many people who need help if the organism is created and carries out its job correctly. I meant these organisms can be created to do multiple things, they could cure diseases and stuff like that. Maybe even someday we could create armies of synthetic people to do warfare or dangerous experiments and stuff like that. Synthetic biology can be used for many reasons, good or bad, depending who and what it was created for. But we must be careful because it may even be used against us in the future. I think we should hold off on synthetic biology
, but we'll never know what it would be like if we never tried.
 

I definitely think that syntheic biology is good. I think that it is both moral and ethical because with it we could save many lives and create many new species. We could also be creating cures for many diseases that have been killing many people. I don't think that there are risks involved. Genetic engineering could help make our lives so much easier. We would be making new things that couldn't be found in the natural world. We can invent organisms to make our drugs and fuel, even recode our DNA. I like the idea of synthetic biology.

Link
My link talks about why genetic engineering is bad. This is the opposite of my viewpoint. It says that genetic engineering isn't a good thing. I belive that genetic engineering and synthetic biology is good while they don't.
 

The concept of human created life is a good thing. I think that synthetic biology is great idea and has the potential to become a part of our daily lives. However the only problem right now I feel that it is not ethical to continue the practice of altering organisms to enhance human living because it can go over board way too fast. The amount of opposition towards it and the potential for new biological weapons is saying that the scientists need to just need to step back and address the situation. The potential for all of the things that synthetic biology can create is emminse. From the bio bricks to the cancer seeking organisms or even the potential for powering a whole city with small organisms. This could lead to a problem; people could alter the species so much that the origional one goes exticint or if two synthetic organisms reproduce to form a new species that we were not aware of and that could cause a problem. On the part of the moral ethical thing i think that right now since it is new the idea of changing the things around us to benifit us sounds weird so it will take time for it to sink in.
Click Here for a different opinion
 

I believe that synthetic biology is unethical. granted there are many viable utilizations for such an innovation, i believe it is excessive. giving the power or allowing certain practices to exist or be legal will certainly bring out the maniacs and greedy people of the world and things can only go wrong from there. not only do i feel this will be a societal issue, but also a moral religious sin. i feel this affects my religious background because we are taught to believe that life is a gift granted by only God Himself. we are empowering people to be able to concoct organisms that can be potentially dangerous. they are more tenacious than the single-cell oprganisms we've made before...who are we to tamper with such a greater power? honestly i feel like this idea could potentially result in extreme misuse and/or chaos. while the intent is positive, logistically and religiously, i firmly believe it is a malpractice. on the other hand, many people tend to disagree for a myriad of argumentative, in regard to my views, reasons...
 

I think that genetic engineering is good, but not moral/ethical, if that makes sense. It could create bacteria that fights incurable, and eventaully, terminal diseases. Heck, it could even save energy and lower pollution rates, a crisis for us right now! However, it can be dangerous as well. For instance an experiment gone wrong, creating some kind of aggresive, harmful organism. It could be used against us, after all, curiosity DID kill the cat. I don't like messing around with nature, but I will still go along with for the sake of saving lives, and mother Earth.

Double edged sword
 

I think synthetic biology can varry between being ethical and unethical. However, i think the idea is ethical if done safely and carefully. Like it said in the article, constructing living tools to face our most pressing challanges can have countless benefits. Rearranging genes gives the opportunity to cure diseases or defects of any human, also to create smaller organisms, even bacteria for ways to use energy and work efficeintly. However, I do think synthetic engineering can be unethical under many circumstances. I think this is like making life into machinery. Engineering the existence of an organism seems unnatural to me. In most religions, organisms are supposed to live in tune with nature and/or be created by "god"(depending on what you beleive in). Would created humans and other organisms experience an afterlife? The way this was done in IGEM was acceptable because it was basically a competition as opposed to this type of biology being abused or used for wrong purposes. This new kind of technology can be beneficial in terms of biological studies and controlled ways of making energy and such, but i can see synthetic biology becoming very dangerous. so my finally answer is i do not think this is ethical.

this website talks about the ethics of manipulating existing organisms

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Wow that was long!!

It was a very interesting article (and a funny comic). Synthetic Biology can be really good and extremely bad at the same time. There are pros and cons to the whole concept. However, personally, I believe that we shouldn't be playing god by disrupting the way of our environment and the delicate balance that life of us and life of what surrounds us have. I do not think of it as moral or ethical. Just think about it. Firstly, they are playing - literally with DNA. It is absolutely true that we haven't yet really figured out how it really works. All we have is very little knowledge. Secondly, one minor mistake in it even in the case of bacteria can cause terrible problems and maybe even wipe out the human race from the face of the earth. It can lead to release of strains carrying deadly infections and diseases. Also, in the wrong hands, it might give terrible results. Of course, it might save a few lives, but the long term effects that we know nothing of is really of importance. Also, the huge costs for the creation/alteration of these are not bearable for most people. So it will result in rich people getting cured and the poor getting left out.

Here is a link that says the total opposite!
 

oops....

My link says that it is totally a good thing as it might provide results that can help the human race. They are not thinking of the aftereffects.

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I do not think synthetic biology is moral or ethical. First, someone might create a dangerous race, or species that could be dangerous to man kind. Second, it is not healthy for the human it is happening to. I also think that synthetic biology could be moral and ethical as well because it could be the cure for cancer someday, and if it is done responsibly and in the right way. I think synthetic biologists are not trying to make a God, they are just trying to help, but maybe this help is sometimes not good. Lastly, with this happening, there could be some bad weapons made that can end up starting wars in the world and making more hate in this world. So I think this can be moral and ethical and not moral and not ethical.
 

Good morning!
xD
hj
 

Synthetic biology seems like a really good thing. But to me, it just seems dangerous. When you mess with the genetic code, its kinda like disarming a bomb. So many things can go wrong. If you make one little mistake, you have no idea whats going to happen. Based on the article, it doesn't sound moral or ethical to me. Scientists are starting to experiment with things that seem more like science fiction than reality. There are countless things people could do with this technology, and plenty of them are really bad. I really dont like the idea of messing with the genetic code; when you mess witht the natural order of things you don't have control anymore. It seems ok right now, but I have a feeling that eventually humans will regret messing with the genetic code. It just seems way too dangerous for people to handle, especially with all much hate and corruption the world sees.

Pros of Synthetic Biology
 

I think that synthetic biology could be good and bad. It could be good in the way that someone might discover a new way to cure cancer or some disease that has not yet had treatments. On the other hand it could be a bad thing in the way that we are messing around with geonomes and we could create something dangerous. This could lead to alters in other species and their ways of life. Other than the slight chance of something going wrong i believe that genetic engineering could be a great improvement in the lives of many. :)
Against Genetic Engineering
 

I think that the idea of hunmans creating life is echical but not moral. Yes, it would be easy for us to change sometime to help the human race. But, everyting is made the way it is for a reason. I think that is something needs humans to help then we should help. If it doesn't we should leave it alone. This website says the opposite of everything I gest said.
Sorry for not reaponing earlier. My internet went out.
 

checked in =)
 

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