RADIO
LEICESTER THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
©
John Denney 28 JUNE 2000
Monday
26th June 2000 is one of the great days in human
achievement. It was described as a “hinge of
history”. It was the day when the first draft of the
human genome was published. The DNA that we have in almost
every cell in our body is made up of a coiled up ladder with
three billion rungs. And each rung is made up of just four
basic chemicals known as A, T, C and G. And because
scientists have worked out the long list of rungs on the DNA
ladder, great things are being predicted.
They’re
talking about the cure for all sorts of diseases and conditions
like cancer and diabetes and Down’s syndrome and many more.
They’re talking about being able to grow spare parts for
your body when they’ve worn out or been damaged.
But
can I chuck a little cold water on the hype surrounding this
great achievement? Once they’ve finalised the map,
where are we going, and how long is it going to take? William
Harvey demonstrated how the heart worked in 1628, but it
wasn’t until 1963, 335 years later, that the first heart
transplant took place. So it may be a long time before we
start to feel any benefits from genome research.
And
given that human nature is what it is, how long will it be before
some parents start asking for gene therapy to turn their children
into beautiful, athletic geniuses? Although we might yearn
for a bit of genetic manipulation so that England can produce a
sportsman who can actually win something, there is a real
worry that unscrupulous people will misuse this information.
We desperately need a code of ethics to control what we do with
this new knowledge.
But
the biggest objection is this: the scientists haven’t mapped
me. They might know which sequence of genes produces
my eye colour, which my height, which my balding pate. But
even with three billion genes to call on, they don’t begin
to describe the real me, or the real you. Christians
understand that we have a soul, and it can’t be broken down
into a code. Because that soul, which defines our
individuality, our personality, the characteristics that are
unique to each one of us, that soul is breathed into us by God.
King David had a real insight in one of his Psalms: O
Lord… you created my inmost being; you knit me together in
my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. [Ps 139: 13-14]
So,
goodbye from me, John Denney, or perhaps you’ll know me
better as {FADE OUT} ATCG TAGC GTAC CATG CTGA GACT TACG
…..