Public Struggles With Genetics 101

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20010528/hl/public_struggles_with_genetics_101_1.html

Given the stunning pace of genetic research and recent advancements, there's lots of confusion and concern out there about the stuff that makes us what we are and what we're putting into our bodies.  Despite that, however, most people give the thumbs-up to genetic research for preventing disease and starvation. Those are the findings of "Public Awareness in the Age of Genomics," a nationwide random survey of 1,000 people conducted by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The survey found that a surprisingly large percentage of adults have some knowledge of basic genetics, but they are less informed about the extent of recent ground-breaking developments like the Human Genome Project. Seventy-eight percent of respondents correctly identified a gene as a basic unit of hereditary information, and 50 percent knew genes are composed of DNA. Yet only 29 percent had heard of the Human Genome Project and only 36 percent had heard, seen or read anything about genetic research in the past three months. Rob DeSalle, a curator at the museum, attributes such low levels of awareness to the fact that genetics has yet to be linked to a major event or a specific cure. Many people were aware, however, of one of the most controversial areas of genetic research -- cloning. And they were less than enthusiastic: Ninety-two percent said they would not approve of cloning to reproduce a favorite person, and 86 percent said they wouldn't support the cloning of a favorite pet. There were also reservations about genetic tinkering with food, although the respondents did express conditional support in some situations

            The significance of this article is genetics are the make-up of what we are. Our society is so stupid they don’t even know what they are. Chemists found genetics many years ago but the public still doesn’t understand what they truly are.

My opinion is Genetics are much more subtle area. It's so broad that it's hard to bring under a single 'poster child.' I think when something like cancer is cured, that's when it will really get more attention. The public needs to be more involved in the new discoveries that science is making.