will be able to create such super-species without the strict limitations imposed bynatural selection. By examining the natural slope of this evolution, the third stage is a naturaland inevitable plateau that man will achieve (Stableford 8). This omniscient control of ourworld may seem completely foreign, but the thought of the Egyptians erecting vast pyramidswould have seem strange to Homo erectus as well.Many claim genetic engineering will cause unseen disasters spiraling our world intochaotic darkness. However, few realize that many safety nets regarding bioengineering arealready in effect. The Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed under theNational Institute of Health to provide guidelines for research on engineered bacteria forindustrial use. The RAC has also set very restrictive guidelines requiring Federal approval ifresearch involves pathogenicity (the rare ability of a microbe to cause disease) (Davis, Roche69)."It is well established that most natural bacteria do not cause disease. After many years ofexperimentation, microbiologists have demonstrated that they can engineer bacteria that are justas safe as their natural counterparts" (Davis, Rouche 70). In fact the RAC reports that "there hasnot been a single case of illness or harm caused by recombinant [engineered] bacteria, and theynow are used safely in high school experiments" (Davis, Rouche 69). Scientists have alsodevised other methods of preventing bacteria from escaping their labs, such as modifying thebacteria so that it will die if it is removed from the laboratory environment. This creates a shieldof complete safety for the outside world. It is also thought that if such bacteria were to escape itwould act like smallpox or anthrax and ravage the land. However, laboratory-created organismsare not as competitive as pathogens. Davis and Roche sum it up in extremely laymen's terms,"no matter how much Frostban you dump on a field, it's not going to spread" (7...
