Economic Benefits of Genetic Engineering

[Guest maxgreatness]

Dear readers:

What are some economic benefits (or non-benefits) of genetic engineering? How about social implications to genetic engineering?

[Skye]

Economic benefit is that new products can be produced, creating a demand where there wasn't before.

[Ms. DNA]

Another economic benefit would be being able to produce certain things in larger quantities or at higher concentrations than you could before.

[Guest swordfishpro]

I know that there would be alot of people that would naturalay think GE wrong, i think that GE is fine cotained.....released could pose a problem to human society, plants and animals that havnt co evolved with people could be a bigger threat than we realise

[ed84c]

i think economic benifits are probably the only benefits, and they are only for the company doing the science! GM seeds need to be bought every year to get a good crop and they are more expensive. Saving the third world? A word ryming with 'full hit' springs to mind.............

[admiral_ju00]

This should be a good read. Couldn't find my other linky damnit, anywho, I'll post it if I find it.

 

USDA Report Exposes GM Crop

 

Bleh, this is NOT what I had in mind(or somewhere on my computer), but I guess it'll have to do for now:

http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html

[coquina]

I spoke with a geology professor who thinks the Genetic Engineering will be quite valuable in the field of bioremediation. Chemosynthetic bacteria could be engineered to break down hazardous waste into harmless substances.

[LucidDreamer]

I spoke with a geology professor who thinks the Genetic Engineering will be quite valuable in the field of bioremediation. Chemosynthetic bacteria could be engineered to break down hazardous waste into harmless substances.

 

There is already one used to break down oil after oil spills. This would be a great example to use for a report. Here is a site that talks about genetically engineered agriculture: http://members.tripod.com/c_rader0/gemod.htm

[coquina]

This page:

 

http://www.bigelow.org/foodweb/chain4.html

 

gives the chemical reaction for the synthesis of hydrogen sulphide into carbohydrate and sulphuric acid.

 

Here's another page http://www.odp.usyd.edu.au/odp_CD/volcis/viindex.html form the Ocean Drilling Program of Australia that discusses "sulphidation" of minerals at deep ocean vents.

 

The above made me wonder whether the sulphuric acid produced by the bacteria might naturally produce native gold.

 

Well - here's a page from "Yes Technologies" that discusses using sulphate reducing bacteria to extract gold from ore, rather than than using cyanide, which is far more toxic.

 

http://www.yestech.com/tech/gold1.htm

 

So - I would think that genetically engineering bacteria to be more efficient in this process would be a very economically feasible and beneficial enterprise.