Question

'Biotechnology can greatly promote human welfare, but it can also be misused to increase human sufferings'. Comment on the statement with the help of suitable examples.

Answer 1

Biotechnology can improve health, food production and environmental management. However, misuse, unsafe application or inadequate oversight can create risks for people, animals and ecosystems.

Benefits to human welfare:

1. Recombinant DNA technology enables E. coli to produce human insulin, providing a therapeutic product for people with diabetes.
2. Gene therapy can introduce a functional ADA gene into a patient’s bone-marrow stem cells to treat ADA-deficient SCID.
3. Bt cotton can resist bollworms and reduce the need for insecticides directed against these pests.
4. RNA interference can protect plants from parasites such as the nematode Meloidogyne incognita.
5. Transgenic crops can also be developed for enhanced nutritional value or longer shelf life, as with Golden Rice and ‘Flavr Savr’ tomato.

Potential for harm or misuse:

1. Transgenes may escape into wild relatives, potentially making weeds more persistent; modified crops may also have unforeseen effects on biodiversity.
2. Genetic engineering and the use of transgenic animals raise concerns about animal suffering and the risks of unexpected health or environmental effects.
3. Biological agents or toxins could be misused as weapons, causing disease, fear and widespread suffering.
4. Biopiracy can allow companies to profit from biological resources and traditional knowledge without fair authorisation, recognition or compensation for the communities that developed and used them.

Biotechnology is a powerful tool: its benefits can be advanced and its risks reduced through ethical review, biosafety assessment, effective regulation and fair sharing of benefits.