Described in its simplest form, ethics can be described as a socially constructed set of behaviors and beliefs deemed acceptable or unacceptable by the vast majority of people. Ethical beliefs may vary slightly from person to person and are ever-changing and malleable (www.ncbi.nlm.gov/pubmed/15289521). There are three main ethical theories used by philosophers today; these are metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Metaethics focuses on the nature of moral judgment and the foundation of ethical principles. Normative ethics involves the content of moral judgment and the basis of right and wrong and finally, applied ethics covers controversial moral topics such as capital punishment, animal welfare and war (Bbc.co.uk, 2013) . Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) resides in the nucleus of every cell in an organism. Each strand of DNA is made up of millions of chemical building blocks known as bases, there are four types of bases that make up DNA: adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine. Genes are segments of DNA; they act as instructions, governing all aspects of a life form from appearance to behavior (Nordvquist, 2008). Genetic engineering, also often referred to as genetic modification, is the manipulation of an organism's DNA in such a way as to alter the characteristics and traits of said organism, often introducing traits into the organism that are not normally found in the species (Agbiosafety.unl. edu, 2001). Genetic engineering has opened up new avenues: the fields of medicine and agriculture are, but they are two paths that have benefited. Insulin and human growth hormone (HGH) were both created from altered E.Coli bacteria as well as various treatments for many cancers, HIV and heart attacks as the world... middle of paper...- 11- 01/genetic-engineering-in-medicine-vaccines-blood-albumin-from-rice/ [Accessed: 12 February 2014]. Gower, T. 2007. Discovery Health “History of Insulin.” [online] Available at: http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/history-of-insulin.htm [Accessed: 12 February 2014].MedicineNet. 2014. ALBUMIN - INJECTION Side Effects (Albumin, Albumin, Buminate, Plasbumin), Medical Uses and Drug Interactions. [online] Available at: http://www.medicinenet.com/albumin-injection/article.htm [Accessed: 12 February 2014].Nhs.uk. 2012. Type 1 Diabetes - NHS Choices. [online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Diabetes-type1/Pages/Introduction.aspx [Accessed: 12 February 2014].Nordvquist, C. 2008. What is a gene?. [online] Available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday/articles/120574 [Accessed: 12 February 2014].Panza, CK 2010. Ethics for dummies. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub., Inc.