What does "genetic engineering" mean?

Question

what are 2 social or ethnic issues relating to the use of genetic engineering?

Answer 1

the tinkering of DNA to produce enzymes to make biological structures applied to an industry (food, drugs, in the near future, even machine or computer parts).

in the future, genetic engineering could be used to improve our bodies (before birth).. this would divide the "have"s and "have-not"s even more as the rich would be smarter, stronger, more athletic, more beautiful, and the poor would be.. normal. this would eliminate all oportunities of economic improvement for the poor, as the rich would outcompete them in every way. also, would we still be human?

Answer 2

It can either mean synthesizing RNA in a lab, or taking existing genes, and altering them in some way to accomplish something other than what it originally was "designed" to do.

One common misconception of genetic engineering is that some crazy scientist is working on secret projects for the government and making super-soldiers.  Honestly, this isn't likely at all.  We haven't even been able to correct the hereditary part of heart disease.  Still, people don't like the idea of other people being "better" than they are, so they protest any advancement very strongly.

Also, scientists have been able to alter the tissue types formed as embryos form, making a mass of bone, muscle tissue, or even stem cells, for use in a sick clone.  since it is still a form of cloning, people also protest it, namely the pro-life advocates.