What is a GMO? A genetically modified organism that has had its DNA altered or modified in some way through genetic engineering (Lallanilla). Most GMOS are modified from another organism. These organisms could be an animal, virus, bacterium, or a plant. They are called "transgenic" organisms.
The obvious question for GMOs is are they safe? The answer to that is unknown. One of the main problems with genetic engineering is that the process of inserting genes into the DNA of a food plant is random; scientist have no idea where the genes go(). Various feeding studies in animals have resulted in tumors, damaged immune systems, smaller brains, livers, birth defects, reproductive problems and infertility (Kids Right To Know). Everyone is simply
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Soy, cotton, canola, sugar, beets, corn, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini, and yellow squash to name a few. Most people do not know this. These foods are in our common diet we eat every day. Approximately 90% of all products on supermarket shelves contain GMO ingredients (Kids Right To Know).
GMOs could also have an effect on the environment. Crops are being genetically engineered as "Roundup Ready" so they can withstand massive spraying with the toxic pesticide, doesn’t readily break down in the environment, and ends up in our streams (Kids Right To Know). Stronger pesticides are being used because of new super weeds and super bugs becoming Roundup resistant. GMOs could also be harmful to non-targeted organisms. The pesticides and other farming techniques are life threating towards bees, butterflies, etc.
Despite the popular unfavorable side of GMOs, little to be known there could be a good side. Many farmers, scientists, and consumers say GMOs are helpful. Crops that are genetically engineered to fight diseases are saving not only the foods we love, but industries that grow them (Food Dialogues). With GMOs less water or pesticides are needed to grow food on less land. Scientists are working on a variety of genetically modifies seeds to create a hypoallergenic
Thesis Statement: In fact, the food industry states that 75-80 percent of foods contain genetically modified ingredients, and I am here today to give you information about them.
Most times this view refers to insects or plants being harmed by the crops. herbicide, fungicide, and pesticides. All of these could be used in reduced amounts with the use of more GMOs. This would keep herbicide, fungicide, and pesticides out of our rivers, creeks, and streams. Which helps the environment.
These concerns are about the potential of illnesses GMOs could cause. An article observes, “In the 20-plus years on the market, GMOs have not caused or contributed to a single illness or death” (“GMO Myths Vs. Facts”). There have not been any traces of illnesses after multiple testing of GMO products. Since there are only ten commercially farmed genetically modified crops in the United States, the possibility of people getting a disease from them is rare; especially because three of the crops are mainly for feeding livestock. People have believed multiple problems are linked to GMOs. For instance, “in 2013, the journal food and chemical toxicology retracted a paper linked to herbicide roundup and round up-tolerant GM corn to cancer and premature death in rats… they found researchers had used too few rats… and the results were inconclusive” (Colbert, par. 16). Since the researchers did not have enough evidence, the possibility of the problem being GMOs are
It’s been debated many times about GMO’s negative impact on the environment. The introduction of GMO’s has been exposed to many ecosystems throughout world, bringing a wide concern towards the impact of it. “GM crops are commercially available and planted on more than 40 million hectares across six continents” (FAO). “Activists, worried about GMOs being released into the biosphere, have destroyed test plots in at least four continents. (FAO). Another big concern about GMO’s negative impact upon the environment is that the pollen from GM crops, and trees can contaminate nearby crops and wild plants. Varieties of corn in Mexico have been found to have some contamination with in it, along with many others. This can cause many major changes to varieties types of crops out there, not just corn itself. It alters the DNA within the crop causing them to grow differently.
1. Environmental damage. By growing plants or raising livestock in environmental conditions that normally wouldn’t support them, there is the potential of irrevocably damaging that environment. This is often seen through GMO crossbreeding – weeds, for example, that can be crossed with GMO plants can often become resistant to herbicides, creating the need for more GMO efforts.
GMO's are simply an addition to the long list of alterations made to the balance of nature. At its surface, GMO's seem to represent food as it's meant to look ripe, shiny, and never corrupted by pests, and these claims aren't wrong. GMO's bring a variety of benefits to the table. They increase resistance to cold, protect from select pests, and can even be used to transfer vital nutrients to other organisms. Various regions, such as Eastern Asia, have greatly benefitted from the use of GMO's, as prominent food, such as rice, lack nutrients necessary for growth and survival. GMO's have also helped farmers grow crops with more ease and less expense. However, these GMO's pack a price. Genes can be transferred to unintended targets, and pests who grow resistant to these GMO's may breed, causing an epidemic. Moreover, scientists believe that the
They give us new medical opportunities, have the ability to end world hunger, and who knows what else this science is capable of. The risks still need to be acknowledged, because let's face it, nothing comes without consequences. Circumstances can go askew and GMOs could cause harm, but with proper research and careful use, the risks of mutation or newly accumulated diseases are very minute. Foods like corn and papaya, and other items like cotton and glow in the dark cats, are generally all genetically modified, and most of the time people are not aware of the foods that are being genetically edited, which can cause potential issues if the product is not labeled properly. Our world has been consuming GMOs for a while now and we have not yet encountered any major problems. Genetically modified organisms benefit our world greatly and without them, our would be a completely different
According to a survey done in 2015, “Nearly 9 out of 10 scientists from the American Association for the Advancement of Science say GMOs are "generally safe" to eat. Though if you're like more than half of U.S. adults from the general public in that same survey, you think you probably shouldn't eat them” (Siegel and Verity). There are many reasons people believe they should not be consuming GMO’s from them, having too many chemicals used on them when they are grown, to them not being “organic” and genetically altered, or not being as healthy as non-genetically modified organisms. But those beliefs are not true. GMO’s are still the same plant but with one or two added or deleted genes to make them fit the profile scientists are looking for. Thus, making them still have all of the nutrience they started with if not
“A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using techniques in genetics generally known as recombinant DNA technology” Science Daily (2012).
By producing GMO foods other organisms in the ecosystem could be harmed.Toxics are a big issue surrounding chemical pesticides used commonly with GMOs. The nature of gmo food means fewer weed flowers and less nectar for pollinators, and this would have them without food, leading to their death. Bees and monarch butterflies are hugely important in the pollination of many food crops, but are extremely endangered by GM
GMO is a genetically modified organism a gene that is altered to affect the plant or fruit. GMOs you’re probably eating and don't even know it , it's widely used and most least understood..GMOs are still up for debate if they are harmfully or not.In the U.S, the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sales. GMOs should be Banned and should be researched on due to misleading information about the topic. Most people have no clue what a GMO is.
It is proven that when you genetically modify anything those genes become less diverse. When genes become less diverse they can all be susceptible to a certain thing. Say a drought comes along. This drought is very long and rough. Instead of all the plants dying at the same time some that were not genetically modified may be able to survive longer. Even though some plants may not come as we would like, we simply cannot go for this all-or-none plan GMO industries have going on. Genetically engineered crops have shown no increase in yield and no decrease in pesticide use (Tady). Pesticides are as poisonous as they sound, they are being eaten every day and run into our local waterways. Big companies care more about their money than what we put into our bodies. (Tady). The more we let companies take advantage of us they less they care about what goes into their products. It’s all about the
Genetically modified farming has become more of an issue in the agriculture and nutrition worlds over the past ten years. The big question is, do the benefits of GMO farming outweigh the losses. GMO corporations like Monsanto make business much harder for independent farmers, due to the cost difference and efficiency of GMO farming, as well as other reasons. GMO farming can also save funds and provide produce to a larger range of people. Genetically modified agriculture has an especially strong effect on Hawaii state farmers.While there are benefits to GMO farming, there are also many downsides.
GMOs help with environmental protection by using less time, tools, and reducing pollution. According to Livestrong.com, 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. Contrary to this idea, GMOs are made with chemicals which could hurt the environment, the organisms with the chemicals, and the consumer who is consuming the
Most concerns with respect to GMOs have been due to their effects on human health and the environment. Some of the possible health concerns to humans include organ failure and birth defects. Based on tests carried out on rats, it has been shown that organs such as kidneys, liver and the heart may fail due to GMO consumption. Research has also shown that pregnant women are also at the risk of experiencing birth defects due to GMO consumption. On the environment, GMOs have resulted into weed resistance whereby they cannot be destroyed by the normal pesticides. In United States for instance, it has been reported that nine species of weeds have evolved to become resistant. GMOs have also been reported to persist in waterways. Researchers have been able to show that while pollen or leaves find their way to streams, these chemicals persist in waterways (Cavdar & Aydin, 2015).