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 be misused for following purposes -

• Deliberate spread of diseases such as typhoid, anthrax and smallpox in order
  

to cause fear, injury and death.

• Alteration of existing disease agents to render them more harmful.
  
• Creation of viruses from synthetic materials, using a recipe available on the internet and gene sequencers.

• Possible future development of ethnically or racially specific biological agents.
• Production of biological agents to attack agricultural or industrial infrastructure.

Today, advances in biotechnology carry enormous promise. Humanity may benefit in myriad ways if current research leads, for instance, to ways of safely breaking down toxic waste, tailoring life-saving drugs or vaccines to individuals, and improving food production in impoverished areas of the world.

But these advances will also pose acute risks to humanity and our environment if they are inadequately controlled or employed as a means of warfare or spreading terror, or otherwise misused.