2nd TOEFL ESSAY

Topic : The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer.

131052 노형석(Roh Hyung-Seok)

  Immortality. This simple concept has grasped the whole attention of the human race for a long time and is still motivating us to move forward. As a matter of fact this longing for a longer life is actually paying off. The average life expectancy today has considerably risen than the past. However the human race in the 20th century have faced some kind of barrier which have been unable to overcome ; blocking them to reach higher to the level where the average age of death would be three digit numbers. However now in the 21th century we have finally found the key which would humble these barriers ; iPS Cells and Nano technology.

  Ninety percent of all the disease occuring around the globe is due to the malfunctioning of particular genes in stem cells. For it is the stem cells that replicate the particular cells suited for a particular function. Therefore the stem cells have been the target for many biologists since its discovery. Originally there has only been two types of stem cells ; embryonic stem cell and adult stem cell. However a new kind of stem cell called the iPS cell has been discovered recently by Shinya Yamanaka, a scientist. To briefly introduce the basic concept of this iPSC(induced Pluripotent Stem Cell), it is  a stem cell with select features from both embryonic stem cell and adult stem cell. While the embryonic stem cell brought about human right issues and adult stem cell research show too slow progress, the iPSC is a stem cell which the transcription are reversed. In this way this iPCS has the possibility to become any organ while keeping the human right issue off the table. By this, diseases serious such as Leukemia and AIDS become theoretically curable.

  Nanotechnology is also a rising subject of study these days. Even though through the invention of iPSC we have found the way to cure diseases so called "incurable diseases". The progress of implanting the iPCS in exchange for the malfunctioning stem cell is still a challenge with sheer chance of success with the old technologies. This is where the nanotechnology comes in. Able to control robots in a nanometer scale the precision in which the robots could substitute the stem cell would be much more accurate than before thus saving precious time and resources. Furthermore by injecting nano-sized robots into the blood vessel of the human body us humans could get a daily feedback about your health status. Enabling you to take early actions to whether to cure or prevent certain diseases

  In conclusion, the presence of human life is the most important factor valued in the 21th century. For without life there are no reason whatsoever to chase after other different changes for you will not be there to enjoy it. So through this two technology ; iPSC and Nanotechnology it has allowed us to take one step towards immortality. And this is the change I believe would have the most important impact to the human society in the 21th century.