Comparisons of the Human Genome Project and Jurassic Park
There are many comparisons that can be made between Jurassic Park, a fictionist book about present day dinosaurs living on earth, and The Human Genome Project, a genetic project that consists of the cloning of people and animals. Throughout history there have been many concerns about cloning and the way it would affect society. About 65 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed the earth. What would happen if scientists were able to recreate living, breathing monsters such as these? There would be calamity and destruction virtually everywhere. The Human Genome Project could achieve this with the help of blood samples and DNA. Initially, the Human Genome Project was created about fifteen years ago, in 1989. James Watson was asked to head this remarkable project. The Human Genome Project is expected to have major impacts on the diagnosis and prevention of treatment of more common illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, which often have a genetic component. “I think that many major diseases will be understood when we can get their genetic basis,” Watson has said (Yount 53). “The goal of this project, which is expected to cost $3 billion, is to work out the base sequence of every gene in the genome, or complete genetic makeup,
In Jurassic Park, scientists were able to recreate dinosaurs and keep them in a controlled environment. Eventually, dinosaurs began killing and invading populated areas on the island. According to Crichton’s book, scientists extracted DNA from dinosaur bones and preserved insects. Twenty-two percent of proteins were still recoverable with the bones by grinding up the fossilized dinosaur carcass. Furthermore, by using the preserved insects, scientists were able to clone dinosaurs with the help of amber, or prehistoric tree sap. “Tree sap often flows over insects and traps them. The insects are then perfectly preserved within the fossil. One finds all kinds of insects in amber- including biting insects that have sucked blood from larger animals” (Crichton 99). These larger animals included dinosaurs. Without the Human Genome Project, cloning would not be possible. Thus, an idea such as a world with cloned dinosaurs would also be impossible. It is hard to believe that scientists are creating such extraordinary things such as making copies of people, plants, and animals. The Human Genome Project and Jurassic Park are alike in many ways. For instance, they both require the use of DNA, both include the act of cloning, and both include people working around the clock in order to achieve such an exceptional task. Similarly, the Human Genome Project also requires some form of DNA, also known as Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid. For example, your genetic code is determined by the order of nucleotides in each stran
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