• Question: this question is about the moral implications of science as a scientist specialising in genes of oraganisms, how do you feel about organisations and governments exploiting discoveries that could benefit alot of people in third-world countries, such as the golden rice discovery that would help millions of people in asia that get disease due to a lack of Vitamin A? also how do you suggest we get past this obstacle in the world preventing us from helping people?

    Asked by imdoingthis4chemistry to Chris, Kay, Kerstin, Lorna, Liv on 22 Mar 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Chris Needham

      Chris Needham answered on 22 Mar 2010:

      I think that these developments are a good thing, and hope that countries do take up these new crops for example. At leeds, there’s an Africa college initiative to think about measures to help develop African crops (as most research so far is on western crops, such as wheat/potatoes, or alternative rice) rather than the typical African crops.

    • Photo: Kerstin Zechner

      Kerstin Zechner answered on 22 Mar 2010:

      I think the problem here usually lies within the business aspect of these companies rather than the science employed. It is quite a tough problem to solve, because almost everyone wants to make as much money as possible. One way to keep it from happening is to shorten the lengths of patents kept on scientific discoveries, so that the medication etc can then legally be produced by everyone more quickly.

    • Photo: Olivia Hibbitt

      Olivia Hibbitt answered on 23 Mar 2010:

      Hey imdoingthis4chemistry,

      This sort of stuff makes me really mad! But it’s been going on forever! I don’t know how it can be prevented except by getting rid of all politicians and big multinationals….but that is never going to happen!! I suppose education is the key…which is why I do things like this, if I can convince even one person that genetics is not some frankenstein science then it will be a win……as an aside, I have not been able to convince my Mum…..she thinks that people are trying to make pig/tomato hybrid animals….I’m not sure what she thinks they will look like….bright red pigs with a little green tuft of hair at the top….perhaps round tomato plants with pig snouts!!

    • Photo: Kay Penicud

      Kay Penicud answered on 24 Mar 2010:

      I think this is a difficult issue. For example drug companies use the profits from their drugs to (yes ok get rich) but also to fund new drug discovery programmes. So if we stopped them making profit (which is what would happen if we gave all their drug discoveries away for free) then we’d not have any more new, better drugs.

      However I think the answer is greater government ansd UN intervention. If they bought the drugs off the drug companies (such as golden rice) then hopefully they’d paid the durg companies enough to still develop tomorrows drugs, while still helping people that can’t afford to benefit from discoveries themselves

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