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Race to Map Human Genes [June, 28, 2000]
Every creatures on Earth have genes on their cell nuclei. These genes act as somekind of a blueprint of the corresponding creature. Thus, any biological, physical, and chemical properties of a creature are determined by their genes. Scientists haven't agreed on the precise amount of human genes, but it would be about 100,000. Human genome consists of 23 pair of giant DNA molecules, or chromosomes, containing more than 3 billion chemical units for the gene-coding part. There are only four types of these chemical unit, which are coded as A's, G's, C's, and T's. Sequences of these letters assemble genes, though it has been founded that lots of the sequences has no meaning, or they repeat over and over again. If we can identify the sequence of DNA, then identify the meanings of it, which means capturing the location and function of genes on the DNA, we will have --borrowing computer terms-- the source code of our body. Thus we can utilize this for medical purposes, such as curing cancer.
Such complete knowledge of human genes haven't been obtained by scientists yet, but a major breakthrough has been accomplished this month. Two major groups of scientist, Celera Genomics and the National Human Genome Research Institute, a public consortium, announced their success to identify the sequence of human DNA, in Washington, June 26, 2000. This means that scientists had completed a rough draft of human genome. The consortium's data of human genome are freely available now, you can get them in the Gutenberg Project Website.
The two groups worked independently, and using different methods to sequence the DNA. This perhaps causes different results among both groups. Celera says that the size of the gene-coding part of the genome is 3.12 billion letters of DNA, while the public consortium says 3.15 billion units, which means a 30 billion difference.
Though the understanding of human genome can revolutionize the practice of medicine, knowledge of someone's genome may be used in harmful ways such as provoking discrimination. There have been actual cases of this in the United States, where people who have been diagnosed to have a gene potential of a certain illness, were fired from their jobs. Other unpreferable effects of the knowledge is that companies that found particular genes can have a pantent for their discovery, resulting an increase in medical costs for genetic treatment.
A social problem may arise concerning human genes. Those who have 'bad' genes may be rejected by the society. People would think why he or she who owns bad genes doesn't help themself to get rid of the 'bad' genes. Another ethical problem is about cloning and engineering human genes for harmful purposes.
However, this major breakthrough in science history should not be rejected unconditionally. To know ourselves as a human being, a creation of The Creator, Allah swt, is one of the way to know Allah, or ma'rifat Allah, an important step in Imaan and Islaam. Though this scientific achievement isn't from the muslim society, it should be considered as a challenge for muslim scholars around the world to struggle to lead the world in science & technology, so that any misuses or harmful effects of science and technology should not exist.
Copyrigth 2000 Irfansyah
