Written by Jeanne van der Kolk

The research of young scientists: What do people think about genetic modification?

The research of young scientists: What do people think about genetic modification?

Written by Jeanne van der Kolk on August 02, 2024. Photo by Anders Chau.

What do people think about genetic modification? How does society feel about it? Young researchers Anders Chau and Aarnav Anand conducted a study on the sentiment surrounding these new technologies, leading to surprising results. Read on for the findings of their research, which we've summarized for you. Alongside interesting outcomes, the study also raised more questions for potential follow-up research.

Young Scientist Competition

Anders Chau, 16 years old, was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Ireland for several years. He is interested in genetic modification and biotechnology and has conducted research in these fields. He learned about the history of genetic modification and its processes, as well as the basics of molecular biology. In Ireland, the fourth year of secondary school is called the Transition Year, focusing more on gaining experiences and learning in practice. Anders decided to participate in the BT Young Scientist Competition and Exhibition in 2024, one of the largest science competitions for secondary school students in Ireland, together with his friend Aarnav Anand. They are eager to share their findings with you.

"I wanted to do something related to genetic engineering but at the time I didn’t have enough knowledge or experience to even try to attempt designing my own genetic engineering experiment," says Anders. "So I decided to do a project on DIY genetic engeneering: assessing accessibility, ethics, and public sentiment." This allowed him to gain practical experience working with a DIY genetic modification kit and theoretical knowledge through research on various aspects of the topic.

Anders explains, "We also ended up choosing this specific project because the more we researched genetic engineering, the more we realized how advanced the technology is. This just led us to believe more that genetic engineering will be a big part of the near future of humanity, whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of time. We believe that this technology should not be banned or restricted but continually developed carefully, because we think that banning genetic engineering and related areas of research is a mistake. This is because banning human genetic engineering would lead to the science wandering off to a place with jurisdiction and rules that no one is uncomfortable with."

Respondent group

For their research on societal sentiment, they distributed questionnaires to different groups. The 260 respondents included secondary school students from the first to sixth grades (200), university students (50), and professors (10). Anders and Aarnav wanted to see if educational level influenced participants' views on genetic modification.

Results of the study

Overall, the people who participated in the study were positive but cautious about genetic modification. Most believed this technology should not be used for altering appearances and creating "designer babies" or making people superior. As some participants noted, it is not meant to create "Captain America."

Among students on a theoretical learning path (higher-educated), Anders and Aarnav observed differences in thinking compared to other participants. Their views on genetic technology were more thoughtful, structured, and well-founded.

Ethical objections on modifying humans

The study results showed many ethical objections to modifying human genes. Genetic modification could be used to enhance the human gene pool and create an ideal gene pool. The immediate question is what this ideal gene pool entails and the goal of creating it. Would it be used to prevent hereditary diseases? And if so, how should new hereditary diseases be prevented?

Expected and unexpected outcomes

The researchers' expectations were partly confirmed and partly not. There was a correlation between educational level and knowledge of genetic technology, awareness of CRISPR technology, practical experience with genetic technology, and whether genetic modification was viewed as natural or unnatural. As educational level rises, so does knowledge of genetic technology, awareness of CRISPR technology, and practical experience. Additionally, higher-educated people are more likely to see genetic modification as natural than those with a lower educational level.

Other expected correlations did not hold. There was no correlation between educational level and the overall sentiment about genetic modification or the interest in conducting genetic experiments.

Anders and Aarnav had expected that concerns would increase with higher educational levels, but the opposite was true. It appears that more knowledge of genetic modification leads to fewer concerns about using the technology in general.

Caution, but no concern

However, caution increases with educational level. Higher-educated individuals are more aware of the risks of misuse or abuse of genetic modification. How the technology is used, by whom, and for what purpose is important, though this does not lead to more concerns.

According to Anders and Aarnav, there is a correlation between educational level and the degree of caution regarding genetic modification. "It is likely that people are less cautious as educational level decreases," says Anders. "The group of participants with a doctoral degree are the most aware of genetic modification and also the most cautious group." It seems that those with a lower educational level are less aware of the risks of genetic modification.

Lack of knowledge in society

Anders believes there is a lack of knowledge about genetic modification in society. This could be due to the insufficient coverage of current topics in school lessons. Only when a student asks about it does attention get paid. Anders suggests it would be beneficial to have more discussions about genetic modification to increase knowledge on the subject in an accessible way.

Speaking

SpeakingAnders Chau

  • Aarnav Anand: “Participating in the BT Young Scientist thing was great. I met people and learnt a lot. I realized that science isn't just about doing experiments. It's also about telling people why it's important and there's a difference between understanding science on paper vs in reality. In reality if you understand you should be able to explain it a child. Overall, the BT Young Scientist was very good. I would recommend it to everyone as you learn a lot and it's also quite good for social interactions.”

  • Anders Chau: “I enjoyed the whole journey that I went through, and I learned a lot from this whole experience. It was very entertaining and interesting to say the least. I have also realized that there is a lot more to genetic engineering and molecular biology than I previously thought. It has unquestionably answered a lot of the questions that I had when I started. But I would say that it has brought up and raised more questions than it has answered. Also, like my friend Aarnav said, I would also definitely recommend getting involved in the BT Young Scientist Competition, or just any science competition, as it is a great experience.

More Information

The entire study can be found here onedrive BT Young Scientist.

Contact details Anders:

Instagram
Facebook
Discord: despicable000

Death Wish People are Rejecting a Ticket to the Future

For people into cryonics, the choice is a total no-brainer. When you’re looking down the barrel of a terminal illness or just getting old, the alternative to getting frozen in liquid nitrogen at -196°C is, well, game over forever. They see even a tiny shot that future tech could fix cellular damage and bring you back as the ultimate life insurance policy. Yet, decades after Robert Ettinger first pitched the idea back in 1962, cryonics is still way out on the fringes. Globally, only a few thousand people have signed up for post-mortem cryopreservation, and only a couple hundred bodies are actually sitting in tanks right now. Billions of people face the absolute certainty of death every single day. So why do the vast majority not just pass on cryonics, they actively brush it off? Wh...

Improving the lives of people with disabilities

Dicky, my great-aunt I was named after (my nickname is Dick), was confined to a wheelchair most of her life. At the age of 18, she was diagnosed with polio. As a child, we, together with my parents, visited her regularly. She lived in De Ark, a residential facility for children and adults with severe polio paralysis. It was built in 1958, right next to the Zuiderziekenhuis (hospital), after a polio epidemic shook Rotterdam (Netherlands). ## Impact on Others She depended on others for everything. What she could still do was operate her electric wheelchair, and she could also write small pieces. Talking went on between gasps and took a lot of patience. *She wrote with her right hand, with a ballpoint pen between index and middle finger. She always sent postcards to everyone. Birthday c...

I Learned Flies to Talk

It all started with a message from Niels containing a link to a fascinating GitHub project. The repository featured a virtual fruit fly living on your desktop whose movements, such as walking, resting, grooming, and taking off, were entirely driven by a live emulation of a real fruit fly brain. I was curious to understand how the application worked under the hood and how realistic the emulation actually was in practice, so I decided to take it on as a side project. To appreciate why this is so remarkable, one has to look back at the history of fruit fly neuroscience. For decades, mapping the complete wiring diagram of an insect brain, known as a connectome, was considered an almost impossible feat. While scientists managed to map the simple 302-neuron nervous system of a roundworm back...

How to overcome life's limits

We all experience limits in life. Whether it concerns financial, emotional or physical boundaries. *Overcoming those limits often requires determination and a lot of courage*. If you want to get the most out of yourself, you have to practice and train a lot. ## New challenge For example, you can push your boundaries by learning a new language, by deepening your knowledge of a field, by traveling far, by taking up a new hobby or by taking on a new challenge. What limitations and/ or boundaries do you encounter and would you like to work on? What challenges do you agree with yourself to push your boundaries? Where are you going? How far can you get? ## Pushing boundaries *When you step out of your comfort zone, it feels uncomfortable or it gives you energy*. I once read in a b...

Digital Self-Defense Before It’s Too Late

Less than a decade ago, cybercriminals were often easy to spot. Phishing emails were riddled with spelling errors, fake websites looked amateurish, and fraudulent phone calls were usually transparent attempts to swindle people out of money. Those days are gone. Thanks to artificial intelligence, criminals now have access to the same advanced technology used by major corporations and governments. Consequently, digital self-defense has become more important than ever. AI is transforming the world at breakneck speed. We use intelligent systems to write text, create images, develop software, and solve complex problems. In hospitals, AI assists doctors with diagnoses, companies automate their customer service, and scientists use the technology to develop new medicines. The possibilities seem...

Agnes Hensen on Why Automated Payments Still Need a Human Touch

More and more business processes are being automated. Invoices are generated and sent automatically, accounting software tracks payment deadlines, and reminders can be sent to the customer without human intervention. This saves time and prevents outstanding invoices from being overlooked. However, not every situation can be effectively reduced to an automated message sent at a preset time. After all, behind an outstanding invoice lie people, circumstances, and sometimes a story that a system cannot assess. That is precisely why personal insight remains important when following up on a payment. ## Automation is useful, but has its limits An automated system is excellent at determining when a payment deadline has passed. It can then send a standard reminder and, perhaps a few day...