Genetically And Genetically Modified Organisms

Imagine, if you will, something that can protect our food from pests. Something that saves our water resources by watering our crops less. Imagine something that allows us to feed more people and grow more food. This, among many other things, is what the GMOs claim to fame is. What actually is a GMO? In recent years the conversation about this topic has increased significantly for good or ill. We hear amazing things about GMOs, all the potential benefits for mankind and our food. Conversely, we hear very negative things about GMOs and how it adversely affects our food and the people eating these foods. What is the truth? What do the facts says, and what is the world doing about GMOs? This paper will discuss what a GMO is, the labeling of GMOs and the controversies surrounding GMOs. These three topics will lead to a better understanding of the GMO debate.

A genetically modified organism is an organism that has been genetically altered in a way that would not have occurred through mating or natural recombination. (6) Humans have been altering plant and animal genomes for years. When our ancestors first began an agriculture lifestyle about 10,000 years ago they began to domesticate crops by selecting for advantages that they came across. These advantages included higher production, resistance to disease and human preference (e.g. taste, appearance). A lot of our crops we see today are so modified that they cannot survive without our care, and were never found growing in the wild to begin with. (3) As we have advanced in the field of microbiology,

Genetically modified food is a topic of intensive debate that has caused a lot of controversy over the years, basically due to a lack of knowledge about genetic engineering and large amounts of misleading information within mass media. Genetically modified foods have recently gathered more attention since environmental and health organizations have actively rejected genetically modified foods for various reasons. Genetically modified foods have the ability to resolve problem of famine and malnutrition in the world, also produce greater yields, decrease pesticides and herbicides usage, and improve the nutritional value of food. While the benefits of GMOs to our society have been widely discussed, their effect on our health is still a controversial

Moreover, it is not a mystery that the human population continues to increase. The world population was estimated in 2050 to be 9.3 billion, 400 million more than previously estimated. It would seem that GMOs would be seen as a light at the end of the tunnel for 3rd world counties, and the health risks of pesticides, and for the years to come. Nonetheless, many people see GMOs as a major danger to the nation. Genetic engineering and biotechnology is creating new methods to help scientists with the issue of feeding the world. Some people argue that GM technology will replace traditional breeding and this is not the case. The importance of solving the problem of food production for a growing population like ours needs to be without harming the environment and will require traditional breeding and organic farming, plus GM crop technology, used to solve the problem at hand. Our human civilization will have the greatest challenge to ensure sufficient food production in the next few years unless all the methods are used accurately and as necessary. (Herrera-Estrella and Alvarez-Morlaes, 256-257).

Since we have advanced our technology and research so much in the past few years, the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy said that because of GMO’s scientist are able to create foods with better taste, more nutritional value, and more resistance to disease and pest. Many people are concerned with the genetically modified organisms that are being put into their foods because of the risk factors that come along with them. Since genetically modified organisms are such a new way of growing food we are not fully aware of the health risks. Some of the health concerns have already come about are increased allergies, antibiotic resistance, other factors we aren’t aware of. When GMOs are put into our food their genetic makeup is altered. Scientists are taking genes from certain foods and adding them to other foods which has been known to cause people to have allergic reactions to foods that they once ate normally. This can be very dangerous to all people and not just people with typical food allergies. While scientists think they are helping human health by changing the food and making it more “nutritious”, they are actually harming more people than needed. Some GMO’s have also caused antibiotic resistance for people. This is a huge problem because viruses and infections are not going away anytime soon.

Ever since GMO’s were first introduced in the mid 1990’s, there has always been a controversy as to whether or not consuming them is safe and healthy. As concerned American consumers who do not agree in the use of them, the effects GMO’s have on our health is a real issue and concern. One of the reasons we don’t want GMO’s used in our food or anywhere in general is because the risk of health issues they can cause. Since GMO’s were introduced into society, little research has been done on the effects they can have on people so no one knows if they are or aren’t harmful. GMO’s have multiple different effects on human health, such as; decrease in nutritional value and increased toxicity (Gertsburg, 2010). The

As modern society shifts towards healthier alternatives to french fries and hot dogs, practices in the food industry that were once acceptable have begun to come under public scrutiny. Out of these issues, none are more controversial than the use of GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms. Since its first use in 1973, genetic modification has been applied to almost every crop imaginable. Countless fields of beans, rice, and corn have become subject to genetic modification as more and more farmers begin to realize the benefits of growing “super” plants. With so little drawbacks and so many advantages, it is easy to see why GMOs are as widespread as they are in today’s society.

Research on GMOS is not fully covered and the effects of them stand concerning. Safety from GMOS is not guaranteed. Scientists are still trying to understand the effects, therefore this food lies on people’s table without any verification. Some people would say that GMOS will solve the world’s demand for food. However, the production of organic practices used in countries around western Europe is just as efficient. Anderson feels that GMOS are bad for people and that “it seems that the world’s ecosystems, farmers and

Genetically modified organisms are an extremely controversial topic, which has many positive and negative effects. As the population of the world increases, more and more food must be produced to sustain all of life on earth. GMOs have incredible potential to eliminate the issue of hunger worldwide and could possibly provide enough food to sustain the entire globe. Genetically modified Organisms can be plants or animals which contain their own special properties modified by humans, but often have to do with increasing the yield of a food. There are many people who fear that GMOs are harmful and have some unwanted side effects. The pros and cons of using GMOs are vast in their own way. By using them the correct way, we could safely provide

GMO or genetically modified organism. Is an organism which has had its genetic makeup altered by removing part of its genetic makeup and inserting a modified gene from another organism or the mutation or deletion of the biome. The biological complexity of life is narrowed down to a single gene and shoot at with foreign substances that change a genetic trait of an animal or plant. The history of altering genetics goes back to a family who had a monopoly on petroleum in the 19th century and became the richest American ever. In 1913 the Rockefellers invested billions of dollars with the hope that it would improve their image of doing charity and created a tax free foundation the Rockefeller foundation which took over American medicine stock shares. The Rockefellers were obsessed with Eugenics a type of science used to improve a human population this is done in two ways 1- positive which is where you try to improve the breed you are trying to control. 2- negative were you get rid of the worst of the breed. Rockefeller financed the eugenics movement the same race science used by Adolf Hitler’s third Reich. After the horrible press got out around the world that the Nazis were putting into action what they were just thinking of doing. After world war 2 the chairman of the American eugenics society an intimate Rockefeller friend announced the name change from eugenics to genetics. Later, the Rockefeller foundation financed the international research institute in the Philippines a

Proponents of GMOs assert that foods produced from GMOs are as safe as the non-modified counterparts. After reviewing the evidence, however, I strongly suspect that the consumption of GM foods puts consumers at risk. To start off, the safety of GM foods has become more questionable over time, as an increasing number of studies associate the ingestion of such food with various kinds of allergic reactions, serious illnesses, and other conditions. Studies also indicate that chemical residue from the pesticides that the producers use on GMO crops is also dangerous to human health.

Imagine living on a farm. It is cold most of the year, but for a few months you are able to grow some corn to feed your family, and occasionally if you are lucky you can sell it in town to make some money. It is hard work for what seems like a little reward. You must often deal with insects eating many of the corn stalks, and your corn doesn’t do well in cold temperatures, so you must harvest it before the cold weather starts again. You have to plow much of your field to plant this corn, and it takes much effort to look after it. Then a man gives you some seeds. He calls it genetically modified corn. You plant it and the next year and the year after that there is no need to worry about pest, because the pesticides you used no longer

Bacteria are the very first organisms to be genetically modified or genetically engineered. Genetically modifying bacteria is basically on simple terms producing a new unique set of genes or replicating them and then those genes are transferred across different species for all kinds of beneficial or experimental purposes. Bacteria can be easily engineered, “Bacterial systems lend themselves to genetic manipulation in part because of their rapid reproduction rates” (“Rediscovering Biology”). Genetic modification of bacteria in depth is complicated; certain enzymes cut specific pieces of DNA that has a certain gene of the organism and then transfer it into another organism with a DNA gap that can fit that specific gene, “Several methods have been used to insert foreign genes into target organisms, in one method the target organism takes up a vector with cloned DNA from a donor organism and incorporates this foreign DNA into its genome, another common method is removing a wall of the target cell, allowing the introduced DNA to easily penetrate (“Overview of the technology”). The processes of genetically modifying bacteria have the possibility to both positively and negatively affect the society and the environment. Some people are interested and excited because of all the possibilities this technology holds but others are skeptical and believe that the whole process is unethical and should be banned and not experimented or used anymore. Should genetically modified bacteria

Food products in our community are being genetically modified or being grown next to or transported with none genetically modified food. The United States doesn’t require the distributers to put labels on their food product that contain genetically modified organisms. Also the foods originally grown without genetic modification are still being contaminated by GMOs during transportation and production. This is a problem because GMOs have been proven to increase the risk of cancer and can cause other unknown medical problems. As big as this controversy is becoming many people are completely clueless of the topic. They are simply uneducated. Many people do not know the risks involved, what they are in, or how they’re used. It is unethical to

INTRO Genetically modified organisms are genetically modified organisms. If you look in the average American cupboard many of the packages found there contain foods that have been genetically modified. Some researchers believe that people need to be more aware of the genetically altering chemicals put in their body. Consumers should be limiting the amount of genetically modified foods in their daily diet.