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Genetically Modified Organisms

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Genetically Modified Organisms also known as GMO’s are commonplace items today on the shelves of the local grocery store, or even the racks of the local department store. Technology today has allowed companies to modify the genetics of everything from corn and soybeans, to cotton and salmon. It hasn’t been known until now how many products really contain these genetically modified organisms. This paper will discuss the origins of GMO’s, the companies that produce these GMO’s, how GMO’s are created, the risks and benefits associated with GMO’s, and finally the ethical standpoint of GMO’s. Since farming began thousands of years ago, humans have been trying to genetically manipulate animals and plants. The reason being is because of the thought process that trying to combine the best parts of an organism will wind up benefitting the consumer. For thousands of years this has been true. Hybridizing organisms is common practice even today, including amongst organic farmers. Hybridization can also be called cross pollination, or it can be mating two different breeds of the same species. For example these can be seen in Labra doodles which are half Poodle half Labrador. The difference is that cross pollination can naturally occur in nature, whereas genetically modified organisms can only be created in a lab with human interference. Since 1953, when James Watson and Francis Crick proposed the double helix structure of Dino Nucleic Acid (DNA), scientists have been fascinated with it

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