Sounds a Bit Like Planned Parenting

As our society continues to develop, people want the best and the latest improvements on what they already have. There’s always something better, something that is more efficient and gets the job done in easier ways than previously. Our North American society loves to keep up with these advances and get the latest gadgets. It’s not so much a ‘want’ as it is a ‘need’ to have the best to maximize anything and everything that we do.

Plants and animals are not immune to this human need to get what they want. Breeding and raising livestock and agriculture for specific traits is considered ‘artificial selection’, which is the opposite of natural selection. Whereas natural selection occurs because of environmental pressures, artificial selection is when humans choose one desirable trait and continually breed for that trait until it satisfies the needs of the people. By selecting what traits are wanted, they can slowly weed out traits that are less than optimal for any given organism. This requires generations upon generations of breeding and offspring, but the results often yield what was wanted. Larger size, resistances and faster growth are all traits that would be deemed useful and increase the productivity and efficiency of farms around the world. And that’s what artificial selection is for: increased efficiency using the desired trait.

This video shows how artificial selection can be used to create animals that seem completely different from their ancestors. The genes that regulate muscle growth have been artificially bred throughout generations of these cattle until the size of the cow was satisfactory for its purpose. To maximize their breeding potential, they use artificial insemination to ensure that the best possible offspring are born. It seems like a bit more trouble than it’s worth. Why bother engineering these huge cows?

As they stated in the video, the bull that weighs over one tonne will end up as lean cuts of beef that cook quickly. This is extremely efficient in the sense that they can make many cuts of this beef, and being easy to cook makes it an extra selling point. All of this work and effort is put into creating a form of revenue with decreased cost. They save space, food and money on the number of employees needed to take care of these animals. These huge animals were bred for the sole purpose of eventually being turned into our food, but done so such that the process is as efficient as possible. That being said, is it wrong for humans to be using artificial selection to gain what they want? Is there ever a case that it could be right? To be honest, this issue doesn’t have a solid line between right and wrong, because as it has been shown throughout history, artificial selection has made important contributions to the world as we know it.

Although we may not realize it, many of the things around us come from artificially selected sources. Those tomatoes are resistant to pests or disease, that bread is made from wheat that grows faster and survives better, and the roses in your garden were artificially selected to create a hybrid that would be easy to grow and aesthetically pleasing. Let’s not forget about the things that wouldn’t exist without artificial selection. Corn, broccoli, and the banana are just some of the crops that never would have graced our dinner plates if they hadn’t been bred into existence. All of these plants are present today because of the role humans have played in their artificially selected lineage.


Animals are also subjected to humans’ influence in their offspring and breeding. All domesticated animals have been bred to suit out needs. All dogs belong to the same genus and species, but the different kinds exist only because humans have isolated desired traits and bred for them. Cats have the same story, deriving from the same source but being bred for behavioural and aesthetic preferences. Livestock of our modern age has bee n chosen specifically for whatever role they are to play. Cows can be bred specifically for milk production, chickens for egg production, and pigs for their muscle mass. Without these specifically chosen traits, the amount of food products in the world wouldn’t be able to support the current population. Many harvests would fail from pests and disease, and animals would take more energy being raised then they could offer in the form of food. To think about whether or not artificial selection is acceptable, one must keep in mind what life would be like if it never happened.

Without the artificial selection and breeding that many organisms have been subject to, the human race would not have been able to survive in the large number we currently live in. That being said, we wouldn’t be able to live without it. It’s a way for us to sustain ourselves without needing everyone to become farmers and raise their own crops. Our crops require fewer resources and care to yield larger harvests and our animals produce more meat and animal products than ever before. Domesticated animals and flowers bring joy to people’s hearts after being successfully hybridized. There seems to be no problem with those statements as they have benefitted society. But there is also a sad truth that is overlooked.

To deem selective breeding a success, certain conditions must be met after being bred through generations. There is a starting point, and an ending point. But what about all the other organisms in between these points? It seems that these animals were created for the purpose to form a superior breed that humans could use for their advantage. Is it right to use these animals for our benefit, whether or not they turn out healthy or happy? There are probably many cases where these animals simply die from genetic problems that breeders did not foresee, resulting in the loss of many lives.

The ethics involved are controversial, as to whether or not the ‘rights’ of these animals should be respected if, in the end, they’re used as meat products anyways. But the fact that many of these animals are used for experimentation brings a problem to light. Would any human want to be a lab experiment? Forced to procreate to see what could and couldn’t be inherited? I'm sure that selective breeding of humans is simply out of the question; the injustices are huge. But the animals have no say on the matter. The animals’ rights seem to be questionable as they are raised to be eaten, but animals must also be respected as individuals. Selective breeding, while not necessarily bad, does force animals to breed and reproduce based solely on their traits, which doesn’t seem to be very ethical.

Another problem would be that selective breeding is, in some ways, a form of genetic engineering. They are engineering a new kind of animal simply by choosing the ones that show the most desired of traits. Although it is stated that artificial selection does not disrupt the environment because it is as though one trait is ‘naturally’ preferred, the same can be said of genetic engineering. There are still arguments that important genetic data can be lost, and that the species would become continually homogenized until they reach the dangerous point of lacking biodiversity.

Even with all these negative effects, artificial selection has been done, is still being done, and will be done for many years to come. There’s no way to avoid it, seeing as there’s always something to attain. But everything has a limit; we can’t grow extremely tall, and cows won’t be able to grow so huge that they can’t walk. There’s a limit that nature imposes on everything. So what will happen next, when the limits have been reached? Breeders and scientists might find new ways of compounding more traits to create super organisms.

Selective breeding has a place in modern society, as without it, we wouldn’t be surviving as we are today. The circumstance under which artificial selection is acceptable is to sustain our society. It may not be perfect, having organisms created for the purpose to breed more, but it definitely has its advantages making farming and agriculture easier on those who are willing to do so. Of course, it has negative points to it, but what doesn't? Artificial selection should be done in a way to keep it as ethical as possible, while being able to maintain human life efficiently and effectively.

Artificial selection might be seen as having no real impact on ourselves right now, but the truth is, that it really does. That being said, I think it is plain to see that it is needed, and that it is acceptable for everyone. Many things would be lost without it, and our world would be completely different. Take a look around you, and imagine all the things that wouldn’t be there if artificial selection was deemed ‘improper use of biological technology’. It may just be an industrial method to earn money without much cost, but the truth is, without it, our lives would be drastically different. Artificial selection is actually quite similar to natural selection; the only difference is that the humans themselves are the environmental pressures that affect these organisms.

Sources:
"Artificial Selection" - Global Oneness

"Artificial Selection at Work" - learner.org

"Breeding vs. Genetic Engineering: Debating the Best Approach for Livestock" - CBCNews

"Choosing the Fittest" - Life's Big Instruction Book

"Comparison of Natural and Artificial Selection" - Helium.com

"Limits to Evolvability" - 4truth.net

"Selective Breeding" - Biology Online

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