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Related Concept Videos

What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

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Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
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Antibiotic Selection00:57

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Types of Selection01:46

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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

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Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations,...
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Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
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Selective Area Modification of Silicon Surface Wettability by Pulsed UV Laser Irradiation in Liquid Environment
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Selecting for Disabilities: Selection Versus Modification.

Joshua Shaw1

  • 1a Penn State Erie, The Behrend College , Erie , PA , USA.

The New Bioethics : a Multidisciplinary Journal of Biotechnology and the Body
|March 14, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This essay questions the ethical distinction between genetically modifying embryos and using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select for disabilities. It argues neither method is morally permissible, challenging the idea that PGD is acceptable.

Keywords:
Genetic modificationassisted reproductivedisabilitiesgenetic selectionnonidentity problemparenthoodtechnology

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Reproductive Technology
  • Disability Studies

Background:

  • Parents may use preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select embryos for or against specific traits, including disabilities like deafness.
  • A common ethical argument distinguishes between actively modifying embryos to *create* disabilities and selecting existing embryos *with* disabilities via PGD.
  • This distinction suggests PGD is permissible as it allows individuals with disabilities to exist, while modification is unethical due to inflicting harm.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the ethical argument that distinguishes between genetic modification of embryos and selection of embryos using PGD.
  • To challenge the moral permissibility of using PGD to select for disabilities.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of ethical arguments concerning genetic selection and modification.
  • Examination of the 'No Harm, No Foul' and 'Harming Versus Letting Be' frameworks as applied to PGD and embryo modification.
  • Deconstruction of the moral distinction proposed between genetic modification and PGD selection.

Main Results:

  • The essay finds that proposed distinctions between genetic modification and PGD selection are morally unconvincing.
  • Arguments attempting to justify PGD for selecting disabilities based on 'No Harm, No Foul' or 'Harming Versus Letting Be' fail.
  • Neither genetic modification nor PGD selection for disabilities can be morally distinguished or justified.

Conclusions:

  • There is no meaningful moral distinction between genetically modifying embryos and using PGD to select for disabilities.
  • The ethical permissibility of PGD for selecting disabilities is undermined.
  • Both practices raise significant ethical concerns regarding disability and reproductive choices.