Genes are basically the blueprints of our bodies that are passed down from generation to generation. Through the exploration of these inherited materials, scientists have ventured into the recent and somewhat controversial field of genetic engineering. It is described as the "artificial modification of the genetic code of a living organism", and involves the "manipulation and alteration of innate characteristics" by humans (Lanza). Like many other issues, genetic engineering has sparked heated debate. Some people believe it has the potential to become medicine's new “miracle tool.” For others, this new technology borders on immorality and is a harbinger of imminent danger, and they firmly believe that this human intervention in nature is unethical and will lead to the destruction of humanity (Lanza). have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and other nonscientific means, the field of genetic engineering as we know it today did not begin until 1944, when DNA was first identified as a carrier of information genetics by Oswald Avery Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty (Stem Cell Research). In the following decades, two more important discoveries occurred, the first in 1953, the discovery of the structure of DNA, by Watson and Crick, and the next, in 1973, the discovery by Cohen and Boyer of a recombinant DNA technique which allowed the successful transfer of DNA into another organism. A year later Rudolf Jaenisch created the world's first transgenic animal by introducing foreign DNA into a mouse embryo, an experiment that would lay the foundations for modern genetic engineering (stem cell research). The commercialization of genetic engineering largely began in 1976, what... middle of paper... it might contain, and how it might change our very existence in a matter of years. Works Cited Anderson, Ryan. "Stem cells: a political history". First things. First things, November 2008. Web. 10 February 2012. "Eugenics, light genetic engineering." The future of human evolution. The Future of Humans, 2010. Web. 14 February 2012. Lanza, Tyler. “The Stem Cell Research Controversy.” History of stem cells. Np, 5 Jan 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2012.Martin, Jonathan. "Obama rescinds Bush's ban on stem cells." Political. Capitol News Company, March 9, 2009. Web. Feb 13, 2012.Sandel, M.J. The Case Against Perfection, Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering. Belknap Press, 2007. Print."Timeline of Stem Cell Research." History of stem cells. Np, 1 Feb 2011. Web. 16 Feb 2012.Wekesser, C. Genetic engineering: opposing views. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Print.