Reference no: EM133818794
How Expensive Are You? -The Cost of a Human Body
Biologically, how much are you worth? The answer to this question varies depending on your perspective. At the most basic level, 12 elements comprise 99% of the human body-with 95% of the body composed of the elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. How much would it cost to purchase the basic building blocks of your body? The elements that make up the human body can be purchased in purified, laboratory-grade forms from supply companies. These term paper service companies provide the chemicals to research laboratories that manufacture biological molecules. The current price of these elements for a typical adult is approximately $3,000-$4,000.
However, to make a human body, each of those elements must be chemically bonded to other elements to produce the complex biological molecules of life (proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids). Using sophisticated laboratory equipment, highly trained scientists can synthesize these complex biological molecules from basic elemental building blocks, just like your body does. What is the cost of these biological molecules when purchased in the quantities found in the human body? Many millions of dollars! Do You Need Help? Get Now!
Interactive Discussion Activity: How Expensive Are You?
Researchers have reported advances in their attempts to synthesize life from scratch in a test-tube-bringing non-living matter to life. In the lab, they have been able to produce ‘protocells' from fatty molecules that can spontaneously trap pieces of nucleic acids that possess the code for replication and metabolism. With continued progress, protocells may be synthesized that form self-replicating, evolving system that satisfy the conditions of life.
Reflect and discuss on the broader significance of this work. What objections might be raised about this line of research?
How do you consider your worth?