Is This What It's Come To?

Researchers have found that mice that lack a certain protein in their body that responds to the hunger hormone ghrelin burn fat faster than mice with the protein and hope to apply this idea to humans (http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/67610/title/Mice_missing_protein_burn_more_fat).  I read this article, and instead of becoming awestruck, I was horrified.

Do we really need to alter our genome in order to make us immune to fatness?

For centuries, we've played with Nature, trying to alter it, moving organisms from one end of the world to the other, changing organisms, but humans don't seem to realize what a dangerous game they're playing.  From the usage of antibiotics, which are admittedly a good thing, we have gained a plethora of antibiotic-resistant bugs, able to make us sicker than ever.  By playing with the genes of our food crops, we managed to ensare ourselves in our own legal trap of greediness.  We've destroyed so many ecological systems in our quest to dominate this world.  And now, after thousands of years of hard labor and tight food, we have become decidely pudgy in the Western world.  While people starve in third world countries, many people have enough to eat here in America.  But in order to combat this horibble disease of heftiness, we are actually thinking about gene alteration?  Inconceivable.

Scientists estimate that this gene alteration may be equivalent to 2.5 miles of walking, without walking!  Strange as it may sound, it probably does work, if researchers can find the same mechanisms in humans.  The problem is, however, that 2.5 miles a day is good for more than just your waistline; exercise maintains and builds muscle mass as well as providing the needed pressure for your bones.  Nothing comes without hard work, even an attractive physique.

As children, teachers and parents told us to beware of the offers and ideas that seemed to be too good to be true.  As we grew older, it became apparent that life was unfair, and all good things come usually after hard work.  With the alteration of a gene, a person could be manufactured thin, but at what cost?  We don't know all the exact mechanisms of the human body, much less the genome, and should probably be very careful before beginning to meddle with it.  I am not suggesting that the alteration of genes is an inherently evil practice or should be thrown away, but I am saying that maybe we should be cautious and think before we go trying to do good where good is already there.