The discovery of a small group of Gambian women with an apparent immunity to HIV infection
Scientists have determined that Ashkenazi (European dissent) Jewish women have an increased genetic susceptibility to breast cancer.
For more on the breast cancer (BRCA I and II) patents, which gave ownership of this gene to a private corporation in Cambridge, Mass (Myriad Genetics), see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/30gene.html
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/30gene.html
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Whether anyone would like to admit it or not, evolution is still happening. We are the "top dogs" or "top of the food chain" for now but everything around us and inside of us is still changing with or without our consent.
The new issue that is coming to pass is the idea of a given company OWNING these genes. Imagine for a moment that you are one of these people with a special gene, and little pieces of you technically don't belong to you. Would you feel disgusted, would you want your genes back? Especially having not given them up with any sort of consent?
Once again man shows his wish to dominate nature, though in this case the "nature" of the human body and it's jeans explicitly overlap with culture in the fact that it is the case of parts of human beings being owned by others.
This is a topic I have just been introduced to and will be delving into further even after Anthropology is over for fall quarter. It is incredibly interesting in the world of anthropology, as well as medical ethics. I wanted to introduce it to anyone listening who maybe hasn't heard of the topic before and see what you all thought. Any input or discussion would be interesting and worthwhile as I continue to investigate further myself.
-Stephanie
The new issue that is coming to pass is the idea of a given company OWNING these genes. Imagine for a moment that you are one of these people with a special gene, and little pieces of you technically don't belong to you. Would you feel disgusted, would you want your genes back? Especially having not given them up with any sort of consent?
Once again man shows his wish to dominate nature, though in this case the "nature" of the human body and it's jeans explicitly overlap with culture in the fact that it is the case of parts of human beings being owned by others.
This is a topic I have just been introduced to and will be delving into further even after Anthropology is over for fall quarter. It is incredibly interesting in the world of anthropology, as well as medical ethics. I wanted to introduce it to anyone listening who maybe hasn't heard of the topic before and see what you all thought. Any input or discussion would be interesting and worthwhile as I continue to investigate further myself.
-Stephanie
