It has been called the Holy Grail of modern biology. Costing more than ￡2 billion, it is the most ambitious scientific project since the Apollo program that landed a man on the moon. And it will take longer to accomplish than the lunar missions, for it will not be complete until next century. Even before it is finished, according to those involved, this project should open up new understanding of, and new treatment for, many of the ailments that afflict humanity.
The objective of the Human Genome Project is to state but audacious in scope: to map and yze every single gene within the double helix of humanity’s DNA. The project will reveal a new human anatomy--not the bones, muscles and sinews, but the complete genetic blueprint for a human being. Those working on the Human Genome Project claim that the new genetic anatomy will transform medicine and reduce human suffering in the 21st century. But others see the future through a darker glass and fear that the project may open the door to a world peopled by Frankenstein’s monsters and disfigured by a new eugenics(优生学).
The genetic inheritance a baby receives from its parents at the moment of conception fixes much of its later development. The human genome is the compendium of all these inherited genetic instructions. Witten out along the double helix of DNA are the chemical letters of the genetic text, for the human genome contains more than 3 billion letters. On the printed page it would fill about 7,000 volumes. Yet within little more than a decade, the position of every letter and its relation to its neighbors will have been tracked down, yzed and recorded.
If properly applied, the new knowledge generated by the Human Genome Project may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases. But if the new knowledge is not used wisely, it also holds the threat of creating new forms of discrimination and new methods of oppression. Once before in this century, the relentless curiosity of scientific researchers brought to light forces of nature in the power of the atom, the y of which has shaped the destiny of nations and overshadowed all our lives. The Human Genome Project holds the promise that, ultimately, we may be able to alter our genetic inheritance if we so choose. But there is the central moral problem, how can we ensure that when we choose, we choose correctly That such a potential is a promise and not a threat We need only look at the past to understand the er.
What benefits can we expect to get from the Human Genome Project