The discovery of DNA, according to ChatGPT, “Was a watershed moment in the history of science.” Unraveling its double-helix structure began when Friedrich Miescher isolated a substance from the nuclei of white blood cells in the mid-19th century.

His research remained dormant until 1928 when Fredrick Griffith conducted experiments showing the transfer of genetic material among pneumonia-causing bacteria. The beginning of the end of the secrets of heredity occurred 70 years ago at the University of Cambridge. James Watson and Francis Crick defined the complex structure of the molecule lurking in every living organism that carries the code for life itself. Was it created by a divine being in six days, jolted by a bolt of lightning in a primordial swamp, or transplanted here by aliens from another world? “We will never know by living, only our dying will tell.”

The discovery has made it possible for scientists to decipher the code, sequence the strands of information, and map the entire human genome. It is evident that the complexity of this research has had good and bad outcomes. Good things like predicting defects, curing disease and capturing perpetrators are included, but genetic engineering has both pros and cons. “Gene splicing,” the bringing together of genetic material from multiple sources, has the power to benefit mankind but the possibility of creating monsters as well. What is the effect of genetically modified organisms, GMO, on our health and sustainability? How far can we push Mother Nature before she pushes back?