Question

Compare and contrast genetic engineering to the process of natural selection. Select all statements that are true.

By selecting the genetic information that is passed on to future generations, genetic engineering is similar to natural selection.

Unlike natural selection, genetic engineering selects the organisms most beneficial to the environment.

By selecting the genetic information that is passed on to future generations, genetic engineering can happen at a different rate than natural selection.

Like natural selection, genetic engineering may be used on all organisms, including humans.

The effects of genetic engineering apply only to the organism selected, but natural selection affects the entire population.

Answer 1

True: 1, 3, and 4.

- 1 (True): Both processes change which genetic variants are passed to future generations — natural selection by differential reproductive success, genetic engineering by directly altering or choosing genes.
- 3 (True): Genetic engineering can change genetic makeup much faster (even within a single generation) than the typically slower process of natural selection.
- 4 (True): Both can be applied to any organism, including humans (e.g., gene therapy or germline editing).

False: 2 and 5.

- 2 (False): Genetic engineering does not inherently select organisms most beneficial to the environment; it selects traits chosen by humans, which may or may not benefit the environment.
- 5 (False): Genetic engineering can affect only the individual (somatic edits) or be inherited and affect descendants; it is not limited to a single organism. Natural selection acts across populations by changing allele frequencies.