Every plant, animal and person has genes. They are passed on from generation to generation. They make sure that humans give birth to humans or cows give birth to cows. They also make sure that a pig cannot give birth to a frog, or a horse to a dog. The recipe for a human being is contained in the 80,000 genes we inherit from our parents. These genes have the instructions that not only make us human but also determine things like skin colour and the shape of our nose. Scientists have known about genes for a long time. What they haven't known until recently is how to change them. Now they do. Genetic engineers put duck genes into chicken to make the chickens bigger. They put genes from flowers into soya beans and from scorpions into corn. British scientists managed to create the first "geep," an animal which is 50% sheep and 50% goat. Now people are wondering if the world will soon see another incredible sight: a clone of a human being. (from Speak Out, abridged)
