Are Genetically Modified Organisms Good Or Bad

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

Over the years there has been a rapid increase of foods that are genetically modified being sold to us throughout the U.S. Genetically modified foods contain organisms that have had DNA from a non-related species transferred into their genes via biotechnology to permeate them with specific traits. And doing so these foods should not be sold. Crops that are genetically modified such as corn, soybeans, and tomatoes are toxic for the environment. Also, the health consequences of eating genetically modified organisms are largely unknown. And, genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects.

“Eat your vegetables, they're good for you”, The words a kid never wants to hear. People scan food packages for whole grains and fibers, avoid sugar, and don’t even think about buying something with trans fats. Just when people thought they knew how to eat healthy, there's another problem: Genetically Modified Organisms. Some opponents would have you believe these ingredients are the dietary curse of the decade. How concerned should people really be though? This is one of the most debated questions around the world. Many environmental organizations protest against genetic engineering, but numerous companies continue to use it in food production. The issue of Genetically Modified foods has been investigated by many different scientists for many

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

There is a current discussion on whether we should genetically modify the growth hormone gene that the Chinook salmon is naturally born with. AquAdvantage is currently working on getting their genetically engineered transgenic salmon FDA approved. Their scientists have been able to make the common Atlantic salmon be able to grow to over twice its natural size by inserting the growth hormone gene from the Chinook salmon into the Atlantic salmon, however, there are wider implications to take into consideration before making these transgenic salmon mainstream.

I believe Genetically Modified Organisms are bad because, there is evidence that shows how violent Genetically Modified Organisms can be and how the effects on your body can be negative. There is evidence to prove that Genetically Modified Organisms are violent on women who are pregnant and the unborn fetus, studies show that “pesticides associated with Genetically Modified foods, are engineered to tolerate herbicides such as glyphosate and glufosinate or insecticides such as the bacterial toxin bacillus thuringiensis, Blood of thirty pregnant women and thirty-nine nonpregnant women were studied, Serum glyphosate and glufosinate were detected in nonpregnant women and not detected in pregnant women, toxin was detected in pregnant women, their

the rise in advanced technology, Genetically Modified Foods were engineered and created. Not only were they new in the sense that it provided an easier source of growing, but it also brought ,with it, a new controversy across the world. Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) are created by moving a gene from one animal to another. An example of this would be moving the gene of an Icefish to a tomato to give the tomato a longer shelf life. GMOs were intended to help increase food production and help foods last longer however, GMOs have become very controversial because of their potential health and environmental effects. GMOs could have detrimental effects on the population and on the Earth.

Scientists can use viruses for delivering genes into your body. They disable the part of the virus that makes you sick and replace it with the healthy gene which then gets delivered to where it needs to go. (Ron Fridell, 12/1/09, p.30) Scientists have genetically modified animals as well in many ways which help produce a lot more food. Catfish have been modified so they grow all year round instead of just in the summer. By this happening farmers can breed and sell more catfish in a shorter amount of time. (Ron Fridell, 12/1/09, p.21). Also salmon have been engineered so they grow a lot larger than normal to provide more meat. These transgenic salmon create a lot more meat in the time normal salmon create less meat. Also there are cows that have been engineered so that they make several different kinds of milk. They can produce milk that is more easily digested by people who are lactose intolerant and milk with a longer shelf life. Also scientists can engineer cows that produce milk with a lower amount of fat so that it makes better cheese. This helps provide more food because people who where not previously able to drink milk now can and it also lasts longer as it will not spoil as quickly as normal milk. (http://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article. php?id=386, 12/1/09). Scientists have also found a way to save money and protect crops at the same time. Because pesticides cost a lot to buy and it takes time to spray the

Genetically modified organisms appear to be abnormal, but due to scientific research and plain evidence, GMOs are quite agreeable and safe. To first oppose or accept a new concept, one must first reach out and study what he or she doesn’t know. Genetically modified organisms are created by conveying genetic information from one organism to another to get the desired trait.

In twenty years, the Earth’s population will need fifty-five percent more food than it is currently producing with the same or fewer resources. This issue could be resolved, but the full effects are still unknown. Genetically modified organisms are plants, animals, or microorganisms that have had their genetic material changed in a way that does not happen naturally. According to the United States’ National Library of Medicine, genetically engineering organisms has been around since the 1990’s. There is controversy, however, in whether genetically modified foods should be used as a part of our diet because, although, it can provide more nutritious food, it could cause

Everybody goes to the grocery store to shop for foods but do they really know what kind of foods they are purchasing. There has been a lot of controversy over whether or not genetically modified foods or organsims are healthy or harmful. A genetically modified organism is and organism whose genes have been changed by genetic engineering techniques. These organisms can include plants, yeast, mammals, insects, and bacteria. The GMO’s or genetically modified organisms are used to keep the plant seeds from changing or growing in different ways. Plants that have GMO’s are grown the same way and same size each time. It is like cloning the seed over and over again. Although the genetically modified organisms can be useful in reproduction, research

The uncertainty of how genetically engineered fish will affect human health and impact the health of our oceans and wild salmon populations is disturbing.

What are Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs? “GMOs are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE” (Clendaniel). The genetic modification of food is defined as essentially, “any change to the heritable traits of an organism achieved by intentional manipulation,” or more specifically, “recombinant DNA technology, which is the process of removing individual genes form one organism and transplanting them into another organism” (MacDonald and Whellams 181; Kirby 352). This genetic modification or gene splicing is the basis for modern bioengineering. With ever-growing populations the need for food, now more than ever, is in great demand; along with environmental issues related to climate change, bioengineering has been the answer to a multitude of global tribulations. Scientist have created “drought resistant corn and soybeans,” rice with increased nutrients, and “pest resistant plants” (Kirsch 21). It is evident that growing food with GMOs can result in increased availability of crops that are naturally resistant to insects. Along with this, “The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations reports that some GMO foods have been engineered to be more nutritious in terms of mineral or vitamin

Poultry and red meat may come from animals raised on genetically modified feed, but as of yet you won't find GMO animals for sale at your local butcher shop (Harrar 5). There are many traits that GMOs aim to achieve, such as resistance to herbicides and pesticides, increased nutritional content and improve tolerance to the effects of adverse weather conditions. Which we all know is something only a dream plant would contain. Hence what these plants are modified for. In the past, most just had specific breeding techniques to achieve these traits, but for most, out ruled because of the inaccuracy and time it cost. Now using genetic engineering, plants can now be modified very quickly and effective (Pongratz 2). However, Genetically Modified Organisms are seen to cause more harm than good, that they could potentially harm our bodies and environment in the process. "The process is not as rigorous or independent as it should be. The FDA often does not get all the data to perform a fully informed safety review," noted Gregory Jaffe, director of the CSPI Biotechnology Project, in a 2012 report. There are many issues that have sparked by using Genetically Modified Organisms. In creating an organism, the matter of fact of it being a negative to health arises in consuming something that is not naturally occurring (Harrar

This technology has several recognized accomplishments. The first is that genetically engineered animals will improve human health through production of novel replacement proteins, drugs, vaccines, research models and tissues for the treatment and prevention of human disease. The second is that genetically engineered animals will contribute to improving the environment and human health with the consumption of fewer resources and the production of less waste and the third is that Animals that are genetically engineered will have improved food production traits enabling them to help meet the global demand for more efficient, higher quality and lower-cost sources of food. The fourth accomplishment that this technology has is that Genetic engineering offers tremendous benefit to the animal by enhancing health, well-being and animal welfare. Last but not least genetically engineered animals have produced high-value industrial products such as spider silk used for medical and defense purposes.