Sensory Perceptions Essay Example for Free

Sensory Perceptions Essay Provide at least three (3) reasons for believing in the accuracy or inaccuracy of sensory information. The inaccuracy of sensory information is based our experiences in life or what we experiencing at any given moment. Our sense organ is working when something arouses our nerve cells called receptor in a sense organ (Thinkquest.org. 2011, p.1). Our sight, smell, hearing, taste, and feel are part of our physical awareness. Each sense collects information about how we view the world, self and things, which detects changes within our body, mind and thought patterns (Carter, Aldridge, Page, and Parker. 2009, p.76). Our senses may not deliver accurate data to our brain if our thoughts are not clear. We have been alerted by scientist and philosophers that our sensory information is superficiality (Kirby and Goodpaster. 2007, p.56). All through our life, our senses have enriched our brain in which the senses and the brain are link as we think (p.55). Our inaccuracy of sensory information is limited when there’s an illness, lost of job, exhausted, or death. When demands we face exceeds our ability to meet them, we will feel stressed or anxiety, which affect our ability to use our sensory information. Also our sensory of information have limitations; what smells pleasant may not taste pleasant, a week ago, I brought four peaches from Giant, they were beautiful, nice color, firm texture, and they smelled good, however, they tasted horrible! not one, all of them. Basically, our senses are imperfect. My beliefs in the inaccuracy of sensory information. Identify and describe at least three (3) factors contributing to the accuracy of sensory data. Being observant, looking at things in small details and describing what you see in your owned words (Kirby and Goodpaster. 2007, p.58). Dr. Rita Carter tells us when we look at a scene, we have the impression of seeing all of it at in one glance or we just typically pick out just a few tiny details (2009, p.85). Once we change our habits how we see things, we will realized that no two things are alike. Hearing is the most crucial to our sensory data (Kirby and Goodpaster. 2007, p.59). To become a better listener, we must want to listen which a factor contributing to the accuracy of our  sensory data. According to the book Thinking (2007) â€Å"We can extend our senses by willing and by trying to absorb more intensely the sensual information around us†, this step would be contributing factor to the accuracy of sensory data. We can keep our thinking revitalized and razor-sharp through interaction by sharpening our sensory data by focusing on one sense at a time, writing with the opposite hand, going home or to work in a different direction. The tools I use to help me with my sensory data: (1) ask questions, (2) listening to my inner self or tune in to my conscious, (3) what is my mind set, angry, upset or depress, and (4) using the material in my book Thinking (2007) as a guide to improve my sensory data. Discuss the roles of â€Å"nature† and â€Å"nurture† with regard to the interpretation and evaluation of sensory data. Nature and nurture are the two factors shaping the way our brain functions (Carter, Aldridge, Page, and Parker. 2009, p.192). Nature refers to an individual’s set of genes inherited from his or her parents. The brain is also altered by the nurture which is all the environmental in which an individual is exposed to throughout life (p.192). Nature is a persons biology is his or her destiny, ultimately, whatever experiences he/she has in life positive or negative. I have childhood friends, who came from well to do family, college graduate, great career in the government, lived in nice home, parents were always nice and pleasant. Later on in life, I found out she was sexual abused by her father and eventually she turned to drugs. The experience of my childhood friend has shape the way she behave as a person and changed my ways of believing and thinking what appears to be good is not always necessary true. I did not see the false face of her father, because he was always nice and pleasant. With my childhood friend’s experiences, I’m mindful of my sensory before I make any decision. Have I slipped, yes and I know why. Nature or nurture, every single life experience we have comes to us through our sensory data. References Carter, Rita. Aldridge, Susan., Page Martyn., and Parker Steve (2009). The Human Brain Book. Kirby, Gary and Jeffery Goodpaster. (2007). Thinking, (4th ed). Edition for Strayer University. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Thinkquest. (2010). Introduction to the senses Retrieved:

Arguments For and Against Global Warming

Arguments For and Against Global Warming Have you noticed that the summers have been getting hotter and the winters have become increasingly colder? Or have you perceived the climate changes but failed to comprehend why these changes were happening? Many people either did not think about that too closely or even know about the changes until they viewed Al Gores documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. This documentary changed societys mentality on the ongoing dispute about the legitimacy of global warming and many have come to believe that this crisis is the truth about what is currently occurring today. From this documentary to the many statistical research studies, there have been many ongoing debates on whether this controversial idea is correct at all. I had no idea what global warming was prior to viewing this documentary in my environmental science class. Now I believe global warming more than ever. Based on the data from the ongoing research, global warming is indeed, a valid growing disaster Global warming is essentially the average increasing temperature in the atmosphere as a result of greenhouse gases. These gases absorb and store heat in the earths atmosphere. The gases mostly consist of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and water. These gases cause the greenhouse effect in which vapors insulate the surface of the earth to keep the Earth warm. Due to human activity, there is a large amount of carbon dioxide gathering in the atmosphere absorbing a lot of the heat coming from the sun. The atmosphere is supposed to emit most of the heat, but the atmosphere absorbs all the warmth which causes an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases. I am sure that many people, including myself not too long ago, do not realize what greenhouse gases are and how we are contributing to global warming. Before doing some research on my own, I did not know that human activities like driving cars led to a buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Statistics from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shown that human made gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide have been the leading causes in temperature increases since the middle of the twentieth century. The IPCC has also shown statistics that global average surface temperature and the global average sea level have been steadily increasing while the northern hemisphere snow cover has been decreasing. On the contrary, there are people who decline to believe that global warming is true no matter how many studies occur or the data from statistics. Based on my knowledge, scientific experiments that can be replicated with similar results are correct most of the time. If similar results are reached every time, then there should be no doubt regarding the conclusion. The average temperature has intensified by 1 degree Fahrenheit since the industrial evolution. This may not sound so bad because, after all, it is only one degree Fahrenheit right? Wrong, observations have shown that for every little temperature increase, a large amount of snow will not fall. This correlation shows how serious small changes in climate can be and the problem is only getting worse. There have been two occasions in the previous decade in which we have had the hottest average temperature recorded. In addition, Mt. Kilimanjaro has been losing snow rapidly along with many National Parks that feature glaciers as their main landform. There are other places that are facing the same results like the icecaps in Greenland which are melting at an astonishing pace. Melting ice falls into the ocean which raises the sea level. Research shows that the sea level will rise to approximate 23 inches within the next decade. The problems right now may seem minor, but they will escalate to disastrous levels if human activity does not change. I see the problem of people thinking they are just one person and do not contribute that much at all towards greater problems. For example, lets say there are a million people who drive cars that know carbon dioxide from the cars cause global warming. Now imagine if every person had the thought that they are only one person and not really influencing global warming; now the situation does not consist of one person, but a million persons. This is one of the main reasons why scientists have predicted that global warming will only get worse. There are various reasons as to why people in todays society have come to accept or reject the idea of global warming. Some of the critics say that the entire crisis is a hoax like Y2K and global freezing. Others may think that global warming was influenced by environmentalists who want to mentally push people into traps in which donations would be sent. Also, the other argument is that the whole global warming idea is a scheme by liberals who want to give power to big government and further regulation. On the opposing side, people say statistics have proven that global warming does exist. To add on to that, there is mentioning of the melting of polar ice caps which will lead to the extinction of polar bear. However, this side uses more statistics to support their argument compared to the critics going against the existence of global warming. I personally think that people are against the idea of global warming for attention and because of their dislike for the Republican Party. This comes with another counterargument that says that global warming data is manipulated and inflated to get the publics attention that there really is a problem with the earth. False, there have been cases where scientists have fixed up statistics to cause a small problem to escalate into a larger problem. One example I found while researching articles online is the case where hacked emails from a scientist in the UK seemingly show that the global warming data was indeed changed. In spite of this case, the data was proven to not be exaggerated when viewed as a whole. The accusation that the data was false came from viewing certain pieces of information and not viewing everything available. In my opinion, this could have been a scheme pulled by nonbelievers in order to strengthen their argument against global warming. Just because there have a few cases of data exaggeration, this does not falsify all other data that has been collected over the years by various scientists. All the data collected over the years have been confirmed as valid and people who still decline to believe in global warming should give credit where credit is due; facts are facts and stat istics are statistics. Critics cannot brush away what is true just because they want to or hope to believe that their side of the debate is true. There are some people who say that global warming is a natural process and is bound to happen as long as humans are inhibiting the earth. To me, this viewpoint is basically saying that all inhabitants of earth are going to be wiped out in a matter of time. Some examples I see today are people saying that using oil is necessary to survive in this world, but the problem is that we are overusing oil. The human population has to realize that there is not an unlimited supply of ozone and small changes will make a difference in the outcome. I disagree strongly with this viewpoint because this kind of attitude is probably what caused global warming to become worse. I believe that global warming is more of a scientific aspect of earth and human factors such as ethics and morals, these aspects should not play a part in debating that the crisis is false. I mean, human beliefs do not change the average temperature of the earths surface, so why then should the beliefs be incorporated into the argument? An example that can relate to this is the saying that all men are created equal. People can believe what they want to believe and they might not want to accept that everyone is equal. However, the fact is that everyone on this planet is a human being, no matter their home country, language, culture, and skin color. Beliefs and science should not be mixed when debating global warming. I say that just because someones belief goes against a scientifically confirmed fact does not mean that belief should be taken into account. According to CNN, a U.S. survey consisting of approximately 3,000 scientists in January 2009, results show that a majority of the scientists agreed that global warming is real. Earth scientists surveyed acknowledged that the average global temperature has been rising for the past 200 years and that human activity is to blame. So the increase has a direct correlation with the increase in human activity over time. The survey consisted of multiple questions, but only two were of importance: Have mean global temperatures risen compared to pre-1800s levels, and has human activity been a significant factor in changing mean global temperatures? The results were that around 90 percent of the scientists said that the first question was true and around 82 percent agreed with the second. Some people like Peter Doran, associated professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, say that the more you know about the field of climate science, the more youre lik ely to believe in global warming and humankinds contribution to it. Some scientists predict that there are 4 years left before a global average temperature rise of 2C or more. This would be catastrophic since every little increase affects the earth greatly. The sea level will increase a lot and more glaciers will melt. Based on the articles I have read in the past, polar bears will be wiped out soon as they are currently struggling for their survival today. As long as there are nonbelievers and people who refuse to understand that they make a difference, time will run out before our eyes to fix a problem that we humans have started. Even though global warming has been going on for some time now, there are still ways to improve the situation of climate change if we act fast. The first step could be putting gas powered vehicles behind us and move onto electric powered vehicles. This will be expensive and time consuming, but if the climate were to improve, then people can really make a difference. Perhaps we can decrease the amount of oil, coal, and natural gases being burned and look for an alternate source of energy that is more eco-friendly. Deforestation plays a big role since trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen in return. Planting trees here and there will contribute to the efforts in relieving global warming. There are many differences in how to solve climate change problems and all of them require dedication and effort in order for us to see results. Global warming is an ongoing controversial subject and some people want to believe that the crisis is false, but the truth is that global warming has enough facts and statistics to support the validity. From documentaries to data to surveys, they all agree with global warming really occurring. Whether or not the critics agree, the truth has been spoken and personal values should not affect something that has been scientifically proven. Yes, exaggeration has been used in some cases, but there is more than enough evidence to confirm the truth. On the contrary, personal values such as ethics and morals have not put up any sort of concrete evidence or statistical data. There is still plenty of time for people to improve the climate and every little step will pay off in the end. Therefore, people have to learn to accept that the truth is the truth and whether or not they agree will not affect the outcome global warming is existent.

Analysing The God Of Small Things English Literature Essay

Analysing The God Of Small Things English Literature Essay May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. This luscious and mysterious description of India sounds unmistakably like a tourist novel yet this example of post colonial exoticism is used to lure in readers to the novel The God of Small Things. Whilst being better known for its celebrity stakes of the Booker Prize, the author Arundhati Roy is ethnic, a strong activist and her cultural authenticity passively provides an authentic Indian voice through her idealised western way of talking and thinking about the east. Roy plays into a colonial style known for its dominating, restructuring and authoritative power over India using references from politics and history to keep the story real and dangerously intoxicating for her western readers. It serves the dual purpose of being able to write back to the empire whilst becoming a product of global capitalism, hybridity of the west and the east, using eastern examples of western ideals through examples of critiqued p ower relations and subverted ideas of the exotic. The society of Ayamenem strongly follows westerns ideas adopted from its colonial background by living with a caste system in which there are two classes, the inferior touchables who are of a higher class than the untouchables. This idea is borrowed from the class system of the British so the inequality between both is familiar to its readers but is also exotic in the way that it controls society and influences everyday life. The extremity of having the untouchables so grateful to the touchable class that a man is willing to kill his own son when he discovers that he has broken the most important caste rule, that there is no interclass relations. These rules of society are unknown to that of the reader; it provides them with the mystery and danger of the exotic. Also having no interclass relations means that there is a lot of tension in the relationships between characters in the novel. The untouchables have internalized class segregation and are aware of the limits of their place in society. Relationships with these people are strongly discouraged but the members of this family find reason to cross and defy these rules. This is unusual behaviour and the idea of resistance against the adopted colonial system is exciting to its western audience who believe that the underdog can win although Roys account provides enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing the consequences of the characters defiance. The novel also exoticises Indias inequality, making it light hearted and approachable for its western audience. The style of writing suggests that Roy has written the story from an outsiders perspective, looking, observing and commenting on daily life, strange insects appeared like ideas in the evening, questioning her authenticity through her strategic use of words and in this example she tells the reader of strange insects in the afternoon yet these insects should be familiar to the teller of the story. This westernisation becomes more apparent through Indian society who seem like they are trying to appeal to the wider western audience. While choosing a name for the family pickle company the relevance of the name was an important factor, At first he wanted to call it Zeus Pickles and Preserves, but that idea was vetoed because everybody said that Zeus was too obscure and had no local relevance, whereas Paradise did. (Comrade Pillais suggestion -Parashuram Pickles was vetoed for the opposite reason: too much local relevance). Instead of marketing to their local community, the name Paradise seemed more suitable which shows how self aware their society has become knowing that the pickling company could be seen on a global scale promoting its exotic feeling to produce global product. Roy promotes this kind of thinking throughout her novel and in a sense she is able to sell her culture through her strategic storytelling. She tells of hotels that have truncated traditional kathakali performances from six hour classics to twenty minutes cameos for the small attention spans of the tourists. It shows how Indian society has given into its colonialisation, allowing their cultural values and actions to be altered so that it can be marketed on a global scale. The strategic use of how India will be seen from a tourist point of view appeals greatly to those who have never seen India and in these terms Roy provides the idealistic tourist guide that they have been seeking wi th bite sized portions of a culturally authentic experience such as her use of traditional Malayalam words throughout the text. Not only has Roy tried to westernise India in her novel, she has also borrowed ideas and put them into and Indian context. The notion of love is not widely or publicly spoken about in India (although glamorised through film), it is something that is private and varies with the type of belief system one has. The God of Small Things is unique in this way; it could almost be seen as a tragic Indian love story showing the different interpretations of the dimensions of love. The idea of romantic love barely exists in Indian society as it collective society who make decisions together while romantic love is independently chosen and a modern way of finding a partner. Roy explores this through the relationship between characters such Chacko and Margaret. Chacko is Indian and he falls in love with a European woman and their relationship is the least stable as they find that it does not work and although it is demanding to say the least, Chacko decides to devote himself to her even after they have split so he can always be there for her. This type of relationship can be identified with easily as it seems to be more common throughout the west and it shows how multicultural relationships work within society. Baby Kochamma also tries to find meaning in her life through unrequited love for a Irish priest. The idea of unrequited love is discouraged in Indian society as it is embarrassing for the family as it is publicly unsuccessful. Familial love is then the most important and scared of all types of relationships. The parents in the novel have a very strong and deep love for their children that readers can relate to, Chacko loves his daughter Sophie so much (even though he barely knew her) that when she dies he is distraught and has to move away. Ammu also has a very strong love for her children and she shares that with Velutha (her love interest) who also shows an unselfish love for her children as a reflection of his love for Ammu. The twins also love each other very much and their love is so strong that they can easily know what each other is thinking and feeling although this is where Roy introduces a twist to the plot by having these types of love become forbidden and incestuous. She crosses the line that most Indian authors would we unwilling to as such things are unspoken of and yet at the same time this excites the western readers who can handle reading about such a taboo experience. She shows that love is a powerful and uncontrollable force that cannot be contained by conventional social codes because a traditional Indian society (in the case of Ammu and Velutha) seeks to destroy romantic love as it believes that love should only be an emotion that is explained through two peoples cultural background and political identities. Roy speaks of love laws that have to be abided and such rules seem ridiculous and even intriguing to see how people live by them and the fascination of what happens if one might break these rules and how desperation and desire fight the overbearing force of being punished for loving the wrong person. The themes used by Roy are universal and provide a comfortable introduction to India. She is aware of how to sell her culture to the global market and is successful in promoting this novel as an authentic experience to the western world. It is not threatening but yet hybridity of cultures, strategically using exoticism to her advantage almost tricking her western audience into their curiosity to know more through her ability to be able to tell a great story which has no secrets and is exposed for all to take with them.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity :: Book Review, David Allen

The book I chose to read is Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. David Allen is considered by Forbes Magazine to be in the top five executive coaches in the United States. He has over thirty years of experience in coaching some of the highest ranking executives in some of the biggest businesses in the United States. Time Magazine called this book, â€Å"the defining self-help business book of it’s time." The book is broken down into three main parts and thirteen chapters and sub-sections. The first part is titled The Art of Getting Things Done. It contains information on societal shifts in the workplace and ways to manage work. Among his tips, he believes everyone should physically write down every task they must accomplish on a daily basis, whether they write it on paper or electronically. They must then make decisions based on length and importance and decide which tasks to accomplish and when to accomplish them. His main point of emphasis in this first chapter is that the mind becomes too cluttered and that short-term memory should be used to focus not store things. In chapter two, the author introduces his five keys or stages to controlling/managing workflow. They are (1) to collect, (2) process, (3) organize, (4) review and (5) do. He points to these five steps as a way to organizing work that needs to be accomplished and successfully completing it. The last chapter in the firs t section is about vertically focusing on the thought process to complete projects. Allen outlines five more steps to accomplish any task. They are (1) defining purpose and principles, (2) outcome visioning, (3) brainstorming, (4) organizing, and (5) Identifying next actions. The second part of this book, which is well over  ½ of the entire book, is somewhat of a repeat of the first part but a much more detailed perspective of the methodology of David Allen. He recommends taking two days at the start of his process just to get organized. Within these two days, one should set up private workspace not only at work but at home also. In chapter five and six, Allen refers back to his five keys to control workflow, he points out to accomplish the collecting phase completely before moving onto the processing and organizing stages. This will eliminate distractions. During the processing phase, a person is not really completing any items but rather identifying what needs to be done with each one.

Deception Essay -- essays research papers

Deception   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether conducted by the patrol officer, the victim’s advocate, the prosecutor or the investigator assigned to a special unit in the criminal investigation division, the interview of a victim, witness, suspect or informant is a critical element of any investigation. Precious resources in the form of man power, money, time and equipment can be wasted because of the failure of the interviewer to conduct a complete interview and accurately evaluate the credibility of the information gained from the subject interviewed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a part of the three pillars of the criminal investigative process, a thorough and complete interview provides greater insight into the psychological elements of the suspect or even victim’s behaviors during the commission of the crime. The interview can also provide understanding of and give a clear definition to the evidence isolated by the forensic investigation of the case. In spite of its importance however, the value of the interview alone can be nil without the psychological and forensic pillars. By the same token a poorly executed interview along with a flawed effort to assess credibility can degrade if not destroy the efforts in the forensic and psychological portions of the investigation and any subsequent prosecution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A complete and successful interview will almost always be characterized by four basic elements: orientation, narration, cross-examination and resolution. In its own way, each of these four elements is unique and accomplishes specific goals. Without all four elements no interview will be complete. Orientation is accomplished on both an overt and covert level. Overtly the function of the orientation period is to establish some form of dialogue with the subject being interviewed. This can be achieved through personal introductions and possibly some form of brief light conversation if conditions and time permit. It is also the period during which the interviewer advises the subject as to the purpose of the interview, its importance, and the necessity to be totally forthcoming, honest and cooperative. Granted in many cases this is not going to be a socially comfortable situation nor will it always intended to be so. Covertly the objective of the investigative interviewer to establish some form of understanding of the person b... ...alysis of the subject’s narrative nor will they be effective at unlocking the truth during the cross-examination phase.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final element of a successful interview will be the â€Å"resolution† phase. It is during this portion of the interview that the subject after effective cross-examination acknowledges their responsibility in the commission of the act or in the least that they had a motive to at least deliberately lead or outright lie to the interviewer. For these acts they must accept the consequences and provide truthful information to the interviewer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is through a â€Å"narrative based† interview that the investigative interviewer will be able to obtain the largest quantity of information as well as the highest quality. Without dedication by the investigator to attain these goals their efforts in the psychological assessment and the forensic identification, collection, preservation and analysis may suffer severely and ultimately the satisfactory conclusion of their case. Invariably there will also be only one real good opportunity to achieve these goals. It is imperative that the interviewer gets it right the first time.

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Speech Essay

Abraham Lincoln begins his second inaugural speech on March 4, 1865, in which he addresses the nation on the ongoing civil war and his high hopes to unite the nation once again under God. Lincoln began his speech by saying that the war has taken so much time and energy out of the country and that there is no need to report on it. He declares himself an equal with the public and says he has also felt the wars effects. â€Å"The progress of our arms†¦is as well known to the public as to myself.† He states that he isn’t going to attempt to predict the war but he expresses his hopes for the future and encourages the public to be optimistic as well. Lincoln looks back four years prior to his first inaugural address. He says we were all awaiting a civil war but were hoping to stop it and save the Union. However, insurgent agents hoped to divide the Union. Lincoln says one party would make the war and the other would accept it. PARAPHRASE Today is the second time I am addressing the nation as your president. I no longer see the need to have a drawn out speech, rather I hope to eventually unite us as a country again and help rebuild our future. We all know how the war has played out and there is no reason for me to further discuss it. The war is coming to a close but the outcome is still a mystery. Today is a time to come together and look ahead towards our hopeful future as a nation. At this time, four years ago, all efforts were on controlling the oncoming civil war. The war seemed a necessity at the time in some American eyes and attempts to start a national tragedy were achieved without much hesitancy by opposing parties. No negotiations would resolve the issues so a civil war did come.

Advantages of Human Genetic Engineering Essay

Genetic engineering in its present form has been around for approximately twenty five years. The dictionary defines human genetic engineering as the alteration of an individual’s genotype with the aim of choosing the phenotype of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult. There are many social consequences that are associated with genetic engineering which has caused much debate from its beginning in 1970s. The benefits of human genetic engineering are endless, the most predominant advantages include curing genetic diseases, increasing human immunity, and the production of more effective pharmaceuticals. The most promising benefit of human genetic engineering is gene therapy. Gene therapy is the medical treatment of a disease by repairing or replacing defective genes or introducing therapeutic genes to fight the disease. Over the past ten years, certain autoimmune diseases – diseases resulting from a disordered immune system reaction – and heart disease have been treated with gene therapy. Many diseases, such as Huntington’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or. ALS, and cystic fibrosis are caused by a defective gene. The hope is that soon, through genetic engineering, a cure can be found for these diseases by either inserting a corrected gene, modifying the defective gene, or even performing genetic surgery. Eventually the hope is to completely eliminate certain genetic diseases as well as treat non-genetic diseases with an appropriate gene therapy. Gene therapy researchers are also studying ways to improve a patient’s immune response to cancer. In this approach, the treatment is used to stimulate the body’s natural ability to attack cancer cells. In one method, researchers take a small blood sample from a patient and insert genes that will cause each cell to produce a protein called a T-cell receptor, or TCR, which is responsible for recognizing antigens and disease fighting antibodies. The genes are transferred into the patient’s white blood cells and are then given back to the patient. In the body the TCRs then recognize and attach to certain molecules found on the surface of the tumor cells. Finally, the TCRs activate the white blood cells to attack and kill the tumor cells. Scientists are also investigating the insertion of genes into cancer cells to make them more sensitive to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other treatments. In other studies, researchers remove healthy blood-forming stem cells from the body, insert a gene that makes these cells more resistant to the side effects of high doses of anticancer drugs, and then inject the cells back into the patient. Human genetic engineering can also be used as a disease preventative by increasing ones immunity. People infected with a serious illness may not show symptoms of the disease for long periods of time. These latent, or inactive, infections can develop into an active disease without warning and also can be passed on to others. This new approach focuses on controlling or stimulating the immune system to cure latent infections and prevent them from causing disease. This research in immunity has the potential to significantly reduce illness, death, and disease transmission. An example of this preventative application is the improvement in the treatment of HIV. The AIDS/HIV disease is a viral infection that destroys immune responses. The disease can be treated with drugs, however these drugs do not eliminate the virus from the body. Currently a patient must remain on these drugs for the remainder of their life. The purpose of genetic engineering’s pre-clinical studies is to advance towards clinical trials with a cell-based method of enhancing the patient’s own immune response against the virus. This approach involves identifying anti-HIV receptors that will be introduced into the patient’s own blood-forming stem cells. This approach has the potential to provide long-term immune control of virus replication, and may require only one or a few administrations. Another benefit from the study of human gene altering is with the creation of new drugs. Pharmaceutical advances in genetic engineering have made it possible to use plants as factories for protein production. Plant-made pharmaceuticals are made by inserting a segment of DNA that encodes the protein of choice into plant cells. The plants or plant cells are essentially factories used to produce the desired proteins and are only grown for the purpose of human pharmaceuticals. An example of this pharmaceutical application is gene splicing, one of the earliest uses of genetic engineering. Gene splicing was first used to manufacture large amounts of insulin, which was made using cells of E. coli bacteria. Interferon, which is used to eliminate certain viruses and kill cancer cells, is also a product of genetic engineering. Another byproduct is a type of human growth hormone; it’s used to treat dwarfism and is produced through genetically engineered bacteria and yeasts. Today, research in the field of human genetic engineering continues to be used in the production of a variety of drugs and hormones for medical advantages. Human genetic engineering – the application of scientific methods, procedures, and technologies that allow manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits – is a topic that had been debated about for many years. The field of human genetic engineering is growing and changing at a tremendous pace. Future advance in genetic engineering could possibly eliminate diseases, deformities, prolong life, and overall improve human life.