Throughout history, humankind has tried to make things easier for themselves by controlling what is around them. This has always been the case and then humans evolved into an agricultural based society. Breeding different strains of plants became something of a popular topic for scientists in hopes to getting the elite possible plants for food. Although time has passed, these practices have continued and technology has expanded and developed. Now rather than breeding two similar plants or animals, mankind has taken it a step further and can alter the genetic sequence of the DNA in species. This option to be able to alter plants and now particularly crops, has raised many moral and safety concerns. Did you know that more than sixty …show more content…
Genetic modification has been going on for years. Yet, not everyone seems to agree that GMOs are favorable to our society. 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). GMOs are among one of the most tested products. Over 1,500 peer-reviewed studies have yet to find evidence that GMO crops affects humans or livestock. World Health Organization,
GMO’s have been found to have allergy risk, when modification happens proteins may mix that were not in the original organism, causing reactions ("Pros & Cons of GMO Food”).. A positive aspect of genetic modification is seeds become resistant to insect pest, this allows for a higher yield. A constant risk of GMO food is the genetic modified genes may escape into the wild. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports some GMO food have shown to be engineered to be nutrius in mineral and vitamin. This can be a key factor in helping fight malnutrition in the world. According to Iowa State University, when GMO’s are consumed they can make actual medications less effective in the body. Oklahoma State University reports that the increase of GMO crops and animals often requires less chemicals, time and tools, and may help to reduce environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. GMO’s have several positive and negative
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetics has been altered by some form of technology. GMOs were first developed from the idea of selective breeding or artificial selection. Selective breeding or artificial selection is when humans purposely breed two selected organisms to reproduce a offspring with a desired trait.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), have turned into an exceptionally questionable theme here in our reality today. GMOs are life forms that have been developed through a quality joining methodologies of biotechnology or genetics building. This is a moderately new type of science which permits DNA from an individual species to be injected into another species in a research center. This produces blends of plant, creature, microscopic organisms, and viral qualities that don 't show up in conventional crossbreeding systems or found in nature. GMO’s have been liked to several health-related issues, and should be banned by the FDA (Genetically Modified Organisms, N.D. ).
Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven
“When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.” – Ursula K. Le Guin. No matter what good some people believe they are doing, everything seems to come with a consequence, and the question is whether or not the good overpowers the bad. Many experts argue that Genetically Modified foods are actually beneficial to, not only people, but animals, plants, and the world overall. Some experts even state that, not only are they beneficial, but that they also protect the environment and aid food productivity. Most farmers actually recommend GMO’s because they are easier to grow, maintain, and tend to be more profitable; however, countless other experts have come to realize that GMO foods are untested, unsafe, and unhealthy. Studies indicate that
In todays society, people are more concerned about what they put into their body. They eat healthy and maintain a stable diet, but unknown to a number of these people is their food may have been tampered with in the form of Genetically Modified Organisms or, for short, GMO's. Genetically Modified Organisms are plants or animals whose DNA has been altered to favor a certain characteristic or trait which is already in the DNA. This includes enhancing the DNA in plants to make them bigger, invincible to pests, or invincible towards weeds. Although, the reason why GMO's are a controversial topic is because of lack of knowledge. Genetically Modified Organisms are risky and potentially to dangerous to be handling because of the unknown side effects
“In a sweeping 400-page report, the country’s top scientific group found there was not evidence to support claims that genetically modified organisms are dangerous for either the environment or human health” (Heikkinen, 2016). Even Europe, a country that does not use this technology has proven that GMOs are a safe food source. “There is a scientific consensus, even in Europe, that the GMO foods and crops currently on the market have brought no documented new risks either to human health or to the environment” (Paarlberg, 2010). The biggest argument against GMOs would be that they are not safe to humans or the environment, but there has not yet been any documented evidence that approved GMOs have brought on new risks either to humans, animals or the environment (Paarlberg, 2010). Along with being scientifically proven numerous times to be a safe food source, there is also no confirmation that GMOs pose any risk to humans, animals, or the environment. “The central issue with GM crops is that because there are no concrete adverse effects for people to quantify, they can only focus on theoretical and largely unquantifiable ones” (Buiatti, Christou, & Pastore, 2013). Hundreds of experts have all concluded that GMOs have not presented any new risks to humans. “The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris organized a conference with 400 expert
Currently over 7 billion people inhabit the earth, current estimates are that the world’s population could be as high as 10 billion by 2050. (Cleland, 553) In order to maintain a sufficient healthy food supply for a population of that size, the farming industry must continue to rely on scientific discoveries to raise crop output levels and raise nutritional values of that production. Beyond the discoveries that have already been made in the genetic altering of food supplies through mixed breeding of similar species. The next plateau will be the reliance on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to provide required crop supplies. Therefore, genetic modification of the world’s food supply is a sustainable effort to allow the human race to continue to support the ever-growing world population.
While genetic management of foods can be traced throughout history, the modern phenomena of GMOs and transgenic plants have come to light in just the last few decades. In today’s modern society, the science of biotechnology and the process of genetic modification are developing throughout the planet. As of 2004, 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries were using genetically modified crops. Today, approximately two- thirds of all food offered in supermarkets has been genetically modified. However, the subject of GMO’s is one of great controversy. Although this modern invention does have some positive results on the food industry it also has brought some negative consequences along with it.
Producers have been manipulating DNA in the reproduction of their products before Gregor Mendel founded the modern understanding of genetics. Thus, genetically modified organisms -GMOs- are simply more advanced hybrids. The World Health organization defines GMOs as organisms in which their genetic information has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally (Blair, 2015). The controversy regarding genetically modified organisms has been prevalent not only in the agricultural community, but academic conversation as well. Although many organizations and individuals claim genetically modified organisms are malicious to human health as well as the environment, they are indeed the basis for healthy, sustainable agriculture that not only provide a quality product for the consumer, but a safe and nutritious product as well.
With all these advancements in genetically modified organisms, we are on our way to what is becoming known as the Second Green Revolution. The First Green Revolution refers to the successful practices in farm production around the 1950s and 1960s. With higher rates of investment in crop research, infrastructure, and market development, the production of cereal crops was able to triple with only a 30% increase in land area cultivated (Pingali, 2012). This second revolution refers to the use of GMOs as the new innovation that will lead the way to even better advancements in agriculture. The use of GMOs is being adopted and promoted by many developing nations and affluent philanthropists. One such example is Bill Gates who is a big proponent of using GMOs to cure world hunger. He has personally donated millions into researching GMOs for this reason
GMO’s are extremely unhealthy for humans to intake. Studies have shown that numerous health problems increased after GMOS were introduced in 1996. Smith states, “The percentage of Americans with
GMO’s, or Genetically Modified Organisms, have recently in the past years become more noticed by the public as they’ve begun to show up in many of our foods and are becoming more and more controversial. A genetically modified organism is an organism that has had genes from the DNA extracted from another organism and have been artificially placed into its genes. It is used to give desirable traits to an organism and to make it easier for the people using it to make profit. There’s been much debate over how the GMO will affect humans and their health, and to date there hasn’t been any solid evidence that GMO harms humans’ health. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the cultivation of GMO and has stated that it is not substantially different from its counterpart, and does not affect the health of humans. There have been several studies however that may say otherwise, though they haven’t been completely proven and is more speculation than anything. Some organizations, such as the AAEM
Our world wants the best of everything especially if it means to play around and mix genes. Science today has mixed many genes from an organism to another one. This process is known as GMO’s. In other words, genetically modified organisms are either plants and animals that are experimented on to level them up. Yet, scientists are too blinded by the fact that GMOs are causing problems to our society. Genetically modified organisms are not beneficial to modern society because they are causing health issues, allergies, and are messing with an organism’s life.
Much of the public concern surrounding the safety of GMOs stems from the process of actually creating them. This is admittedly not a natural process, which is a surefire way to raise critic’s eyebrows in doubting their safety. However, there is no evidence that supports these myths. The Committee on Genetically Engineered Crops, The National Academy of Science, and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Recourses all agree after extensive testing and observation that there is no additional harm in the consumption of GMO food. The research conducted in animal studies, as well as chemical analysis of the crops, show no indication that GMOs are negatively affecting human health. The next allegation hurled at GMOs is that they may have