Hello! My name is Vivan Kumar, and as part of my personal project, I created Genosys—an interactive blog that delves into the fascinating field of genetic engineering. Twenty-six years ago, a groundbreaking discovery was made that unquestionably changed the course of the future. Dolly the sheep, the first animal clone, was revealed to the world. Dolly’s creation proved to researchers that specialized cells could be used to create identical genetic copies of the animals they came from. This encouraged researchers across the globe to investigate other techniques to turn back the clock on a fully developed adult cell to make it behave like a cell from a newly fertilized embryo, which was a remarkable advancement that opened up a range of possibilities in biology and medicine.

As a curious and inquisitive learner, I was driven to inquire into this transformative technology, when I came across the concept of genetic engineering. Upon conducting further research, I found it to be particularly engrossing due to its implications in the future of society, and the fact that revolutionary discoveries continue to be made and groundbreaking research continues to emerge. It is an idea that is not widely known due to a lack of publicity—over the past decades, it was seen as a wildly imaginative miracle out of reach. But now that this idea has come to fruition, its potential to transform the world is coming to light. It holds a multitude of possibilities, ranging from curing diseases that are genetically related, to creating disease and drought-resistant plants, to creating and cloning genetically modified animal organs for human transplants.

My learning goal was to acquire an extensive understanding of the field of genetic engineering, by inquiring into its groundbreaking advancements, ethical and scientific controversies, and potential to reshape the world. In order to achieve this learning goal, I created an interactive blog in order to capture my research and present it to an adolescent audience through elements such as an immersive user interface.

With the science of genetic engineering still in its infancy, I believe that it holds promise to better mankind, but it is our ethical obligation to research it without exploiting it.