Mehakdeep Kaur (Tiffin Girls' School) reviews Nessa Carey's 'Hacking the Code of Life'
Hacking the Code of Life by Nessa Carey is a fascinating introduction to the (recent) developments that have been seen regarding genetic modification. Carey explores the various uses of genetic modification and its potential to help in matters from aiding farmers in increasing yield to helping treat diseases such as thalassemia and sickle-cell disease. However, Carey provides an unbiased view and explains the potential threats that could come with genetically modifying our cells. For example, the theory that edited cells could work better in regions with a defective p53 pathway, and so you might be giving the patient a boosted population of cells that could, one day, become cancerous. Carey also focuses on the various ethical questions that come with editing the human genome. One of the most concerning things that Carey points out is how editing the genome could potentially lead to an increase in the Eugenics movement where humans are selectively bred to produce children with ‘favourable’ characteristics. One thing I found particularly interesting was the impact one badly conducted experiment can have on whole scientific techniques and practices. For example, Carey refers to an experiment where the scientist claimed rats that had been fed genetically modified potatoes were stunted and their immune systems were supressed. A review carried out on the experiment showed that the conclusion reached was false, but this experiment (and its incorrect results) is still used to oppose GM foods. A similar effect is seen with Wakefield’s experiment claiming a (false) link between autism and the MMR vaccine, but this still forms the basis of many anti-vaxxer’s arguments. Overall, the book is a riveting guide to understanding genetic modification, its benefits, risks but most importantly, the huge potential it has to change our lives.
Something I agreed with in this book was...
Regulations for genetically modified plants need to change in Europe as most of the time they have been tested and deemed safe to eat and genetically modified plants can result in greater yield with more desirable characteristics (such as a sweeter tomato) helping both farmers and the consumer.
Something I disagreed with in this book was...
That state support for editing the genome of humans is dependent on the financial value gained by the state for carrying out the various operations. Although cost would certainly be an important factor, I think it is wrong to assume that it will be the deciding factor between a country supporting such a procedure and one that does not, especially in public health care systems.
Something I learnt from reading this book that I did not know about this subject before was...
Despite birth rate fallings, there is an overall increase in the global population, and this will be the case for as long as the death rate is lower than the birth rate. Also, there is a huge difference in diets between industrialised and less developed countries, reflected by facts such as a person in an industrialised country is likely to eat 63kg more meat than someone in a less developed country (over the course of a year).