Benefits Of Genetically Modified Organisms Essay

According to Google the definition of GMO's is "living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering". This means that food is being genetically altered in a controlled lab by scientists. I know at first it sounds like a bad thing and that it is kind of scary that the food you are eating has been genetically altered. But let's say you have a cob of corn for lunch this is the corn that you are eating and it has been genetically altered. The genetically altered corn has had nutrients and other healthy ingredients added to it. This is what corn would look like if it had not been genetically altered. Not only is it unappealing to even look at much less eat but it is also not as healthy and less nutritious.

For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher

Many people across the globe believe that genetically modified organisms are dangerous and should be more heavily regulated, but genetically modified crops are among the most rigorously tested and regulated food products on the market (Bayer CropScience website, 2015) [1]. Why is such testing mandatory? This is because of the way allergic reactions can be triggered by certain proteins. When genetically altering an organism, new proteins are introduced into said organism. These proteins can be responsible for allergic outbreaks if an intolerant person consumes it. (American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, 2015) [2]. To prove that GMOs are in fact safe for human consumption, scientists cross reference the chemical composition of the newly introduced proteins against over 500 known allergens (such as the protein in peanuts), to ensure that the new protein is not similar enough to any known allergen to cause an over reaction from the human immune-system. (Saleh Al-Muhsen, Ann E Clarke, Rhoda S Kagan, 2003) [3]. These strict guidelines are enforced by the Food and Drug

American farmers work hard every day to cultivate food for consumption by the people. In order to produce enough food farmers employ many tactics within the cultivation of these products. Genetically modified organisms, known more commonly to the public as simply GMOs, is any organism who’s DNA has been changed from the original. Farmers oftentimes grow crops which are considered to be genetically modified to produce greater quantities of crops more efficiently than a non-GMO plant would. Genetically modified organisms are a way for the small percentage of American farmers to be able to feed as many people as possible, but some mislead individuals claim GMO's can negatively affect the public's health.

Who knew the creamy milk you drink every day for lunch could be deadly. Or the corn you eat at barbecues and the potatoes we all know and love. All these foods plus more are linked in a life-threatening way, they?re genetically modified. For starters, genetically modified food is when the genetic material of a food or plant is changed and it can 't be replicated by nature itself or by mating. There is evidence that supports the idea of genetically modified food being harmful in the 21st century because there have been lethal side effects from the altered foods, it has impacted the environment in a negative way, and they put a strain on our economy.

In many ways GMOs are just as good for our planet as the people in it. Food that has been modified stops pesticides from eating the crops which saves “run-off agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers which can poison the water supply” (Whitman 2). Some plants have also been “genetically engineered” to help clean up pollution in the air. More land is also becoming available for housing because plants can tolerate inhospitable places (Whitman 3). “Frankenfish”, or genetically modified fish help fish stocks while also helping the emptying fish supply (Greenwood).

For the most part GMO’s give a great threat to the health of humans. Allergies For one, by taking a gene from one organism, then inserting it into another can lead to people having serious allergic reactions. For example, if someone is allergic to shrimp and scientist takes the gene that makes that person allergic and implanting it into a banana, some one can get really sick from eating genetically modified bananas. The risk is way too high due to the unknown outcomes and possible reactions people's bodies might give to it. To add some statistics, there are 60 countries that have banned the sale and production of the GMOS. On the contrary the U.S approved

Genetically modified organisms are a result of the splitting of genetic material and then moving it to another organism’s chromosomes. This makes the ability to change plants much easier than the slow process of cross breeding that sometimes leads to the traits they want. GMO plants sometimes possess genes that had never existed before by taking DNA from other organisms and combining them to create the traits they want. Plants are given traits that allow them to survive in extreme conditions and are higher in production. The way this works is that they take DNA from another organism and they separate it, employing enzymes for the task. Only the genes that are wanted are removed. Then the enzymes interweave the gene into the previously removed DNA that is contained in a bacterial cell. Next the DNA is put back inside the bacterial cell. The bacterium is allowed to spread throughout the plant cell and the DNA worms itself into the nucleus of the plant, which then increases. This “plant tumor” is grown in a laboratory. The altered callus seed is planted and allowed to reach full maturity, creating a modified or entirely new strain of plant (Cunningham and Cunningham, 2015).

Life on earth began approximately 3.5 billion years ago and, since the rapid diversification of most major living phyla (known as The Cambrian Explosion), evolution has given rise to an extraordinarily diverse range of life forms. Evolution has resulted in various species with a wide range of traits, each with the potential to be utilized by human-kind. By modifying these organisms through cross-breeding and artificial selection to create crops with desirable traits, the agriculture industry has found a way to produce essential food crops and a way to ‘feed the world’.

The fact of the matter is, we just don’t know the long-term health effects caused by consuming genetically modified organisms. GMOs were only recently invented in 1994 (James, Krattiger, 1996) and testing on their health effects began as recently as 1996 (Smith, 2015). Over the last 20, years numerous tests have been performed to investigate whether or not it is safe to eat genetically modified foods; but 20 years is simply not enough time to make any decisive conclusions about their long-term effects. Animal toxicity studies have shown that mice forced to consume GMOs suffered from abnormal mutations in their hepatic, pancreatic, renal, and reproductive

Genetically modified crops have certain obvious economic and health advantages. The greatest of which is that these foods are the world’s best chance at ending or greatly reducing world hunger and malnutrition through greater yields. Critics, however, believe that these crops can cause evolutionary havoc via cross pollination. A potentially more serious criticism does not concern the effects on the developed populations, which can protect itself from the adverse effects, but on low-middle income countries which cannot afford the necessary resources to combat the negative effects of genetically modified crops.

There are some downsides to genetically modified food however. Most of the crops that are modified are corn, soy and sugar beets. Most of the ingredients wind up in junk food and foods that aren’t very healthy for us. Because there is a high demand for those crops specifically, farmers plant more of these instead of rotating the types of crops that they

GM can be used to improve the quality of foods as well as increase the

Society have been altering the genetic properties of organisms for centuries, over  all the standard of procreation techniques with the use of radiation and chemicals to generate random mutations, some of them turn out to be useful, for example Genetic Modified (GM) Foods. What is Genetically Modified (GM) Foods? GM foods are foods that are derived from organisms that have been genetically engineered. Also they are called genetically engineered (GE) or transgenic crops that are generally made of a genetic marker. GMO have an extensive  history. In reality, they have been around for thousands of years. So as it may be the conflict over their safety should not  be about even if they are safe for humans to consume or rather how they will impact long term. Even though Genetically Modified Foods (GMF) would increase food costs, these can improve yields for farmers, provide nutritional benefits, and help to alleviate the increasing global population of third world countries.

Did you know that the use of genetically modified foods is becoming more and more common all the time? It is even estimated that around 60-70 percent of all processed foods on the shelves today, contain GMO ingredients (Erdosh & Lusted, 2014, “Genetically Engineered Food…” section). Dr. Smith, a professor at Cornell believes that “the controversy over genetic engineering arises because the general population has little understanding of plant breeding and the process involved (Hibma, 2015, para. 9).” However, GMOs come with many advantages and these advantages are ones that anyone can look into themselves if they have questions. Some of the advantages include the fact that these crops have a stronger insect resistance, farmers can produce a larger crop, and these foods can provide greater health benefits.