Question

Ethical considerations aside, if DNA-based technologies became widely used, discuss how they might change the way evolution proceeds, as compared with the natural evolutionary mechanisms that have operated for the past 4 billion years.

Short answer

The way of evolution might be different from natural evolutionary mechanisms occurring for the past 4 billion years if DNA-based technologies became widely used. This is because now, many diseases can be treated by using DNA-based technologies.

The disease in a newborn baby and its inheritance from the parents can be found out. They are easy to handle by avoiding the disease spread in the future. But 4 billion years ago, the knowledge about these diseases was very low, so survival rates were very low.

Step-by-step solution

Evolution

Evolution is the long-term process by which a biological population changes in its structural and functional characteristics that can also be inherited in its successive generation. The genes of the population are responsible for the transmission of these characters through generations.

Step 2: DNA based technologies

DNA-based technologies are important in numerous fields like forensics, epidemiology, taxonomy, and ecology. Also, they enable humans to solve several medical problems by using many processes like the diagnosis of diseases, treatment, and control of their spread.

Some examples of these technologies are DNA hybridizations, PCR amplification, DNA sequencing, and restriction enzymes.

Step 3: Difference between DNA-based technologies and the evolution

DNA-based technologies are very useful tools to control the infection caused by pathogens and prevent the diseases caused by them. It is so easy to discover the possibility of disease in a newborn baby and their parents through DNA-based technologies.

This knowledge was absent 4 billion years ago, and also, information about the diseases was not known by people, so survival rates were very low. People died at their younger ages and were not able to bear the effects of diseases.