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C. Description of Issues Raised by Recombinant DNA Research 
Research is, by definition, investigation of the unknown. The 
results of research, whether beneficial, neutral, detrimental, or 
some combination of these, cannot be fully predicted ahead of time. 
The following discussions are assessments based on present knowledge 
and collective technical judgments. Unexpected benefits and unexpected 
hazards are possible. 
1. Possible Hazardous Situations 
The stable insertion of DNA derived from a different species into 
a cell or virus (and thus the progeny thereof) may change certain 
properties of the host. The changes may be advantageous, detrimental, 
or neutral with regard to (a) the survival of the recipient species, 
(b) other forms of life that come in contact with the recipient, and 
(c) aspects of the nonliving environment. Current knowledge does not 
permit accurate assessment of whether such changes will be advantageous, 
detrimental, or neutral, and to what degree, when considering a 
particular recombinant DNA experiment. A major part of this un- 
certainty is derived from the fact that mere insertion of foreign genes 
does not automatically affect the host. The genes must be "expressed"-- 
that is, must cause a new protein to be produced--or must otherwise 
alter function. At present it is only possible to speculate on ways 
in which the presence of recombinant DNA in a cell might change 
the cell's properties. 
It should be emphasized that there is no known instance in which 
a hazardous agent has been created by recombinant DNA technology. 
The following discussion considers ways in which hazardous agents 
might be produced. In principle, the analysis is applicable to animals, 
including humans, and plants, when potential effects on complex 
organisms are described. 
a. The effect of foreign DNA on the survival of recipient 
species (host "cell, plasmids^ or viruses'! 
