Genetic Engineering : Myth And Truth The Second Edition By Antoniou And His Colleagues

GM foods are in the middle of many controversial issues; primarily these are addressed by conflicts over the relative pros and cons of GM foods. Major biotech companies like ‘Monsanto ' and ‘Cargill ' are promoting GM foods by focusing only on their beneficial aspects, giving least importance to their negative effects on safety, environment and biodiversity. On the other hand, governmental regulators and nongovernmental organizations, along with some scientists, are strictly opposing this type of blind promotion of GM food by enlightening the people on their negative effects The controversies associated with GM foods include issues such as safety, environmental benefits and risks, biodiversity, and ethical and social considerations.GM foods are implicated for adverse human health risks like people being allergic to it, environmental hazards such as development of super weeds, and pesticide and antibiotic resistance in disease causing organisms. On the other

In order for a person to make a smart logical decision regarding a pro or anti-GMO position one must understand what a GMO is. A plant that is genetically modified and then the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of one plant is forced into another kind of plant to be considered a GMO. This process takes place in a laboratory. It is not limited to just plants. Animals can also be modified. Viruses, insects, bacteria, humans, and animals can all supply the foreign DNA. Some researchers also refer to the process as Genetic Engineering(GE) (10 Reasons”).

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

GMOs are organisms in which scientists have transformed by inserting certain genes of one organism into another attempting to improve that organism. Lately, this practice has become more and more prominent regarding agriculture because it has been claimed that they allow crops to be grown more efficiently and to create more produce. GMOs can be used to create organisms that are stronger in ways that help them survive in worse conditions along with assistance in fighting off harmful factors such as insects. Scientists and researchers have a disagreement over whether or not the chemicals used to produce GMOs are harmful to humans and the environment. It is also being debated on whether GMOs actually create a more efficient and effect way of producing food, whether or not they require a larger amount of pesticides and the detrimental effects of pesticides, and if they have a less adequate nutritional value.

When most people hear the word GMO, they automatically think of something that should be avoided in the foods we eat. Little do they know that 90 percent of the soy, canola, corn, cotton, and sugar produced in America is a GMO product, so it's sort of unavoidable. For those who don't know, a GMO is an "organism that has had it's DNA altered or modified in some way through genetic engineering" (Lalinilla). The DNA can be from animals, plants, and even viruses. There are a lot of politics and ethics involved with genetic engineering in todays world. For those reasons, it is crucial for people living in America today to learn the differences between GMO facts and myths.

However, it is possible that GMOs cause negative effects within the environment that outweigh the positive goals. Environmental affects are important to consider in the context of human health because, as Caitlin Shetterley constantly argues in Modified: Gmos and the Threat to Our Food, Our Land, Our Future, humanity and nature are inextricably intertwined, and therefore harm done to nature is a direct harm to humans. The process of growing GMOs involves the use of heavy pesticides, which has led to the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds that cause major crop loss (Yang). Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned that GMO crops have the ability to spread their genetic material to non-GMO organisms. Contaminating non-GMO crops can cause mutations within the organism, leaving crops vulnerable to disease (Yang). Also, studies regarding whether GMO crops and non-GMO crops can coexist are showing coexistence is nearly impossible (OECD). This inability to co-exist reduces plant diversity which negatively impacts ecological systems. The combined effects of mutating weeds and reducing plant diversity support the idea that the negative impact of GMOs outweigh the positive

Genetic engineering is the splicing of genes. With the splicing comes good changes. These changes can make a new future for some. It also has the possibility of changing fetuses with a genetic disorder, which is done by fixing the dysfunctional genes with normal foreign genes. With having to change the genetic makeup of a fetus, the choice you have to choose is in vitro. Vitro fertilization gives people with genetic disorders another way to challenge life. A form of genetic engineering can prevent congenital diseases. For genetic engineering to happen in humans a baby would have to have 3 parent genetic material. With having 3 parents and 2 maternal bloodlines concerns were raised about how the baby would go through life and have questions about where they came from. As well as questions about who they are. Food

Genetically modified organisms, more commonly referred to as GMO’s, are greatly up for debate at this time. A GMO is the result of a laboratory process in which genes are transferred between organisms in order to obtain generally more desirable traits. (“Genetically Modified Organisms”). The process basically takes naturally unobtainable traits, and makes them obtainable through a highly controlled laboratory setting. Large companies produce these GMO’s with great profit, especially due to the great demand for their product, which allows for the production of a higher yield of crops. The advancement of technology has resulted in further development of the way genetic modification occurs. (“GMO FAQs”)

Genetic engineering has been a some what sensitive subject in present day debates, especially when it comes to the widespread consumption of GMO foods. There have been many studies conducted that both support and discredit the use of the biotechnology. There are many reasons why someone would seek to alter a plant 's genetic profile, it could be to increase crop yield, or to fight off diseases, or possibly just to create an overall more efficient organism. As some scientists see this as a revolutionary technology that could possibly end world hunger, others view it as a major health concern. Both sides agree that no long-term human health studies have been conducted. There are

Genetic engineering is the use of various methods to manipulate the DNA of cells to change hereditary traits or produce biological products. The development of genetic engineering was discovered in 1968 by Swiss microbiologist Werner Arber. However, type II restriction enzymes, which are essential to genetic engineering for their ability to cleave a specific site within the DNA (as opposed to type I restriction enzymes, which cleave DNA at random sites), were not identified until 1969, when the American molecular biologist Hamilton O. Smith purified this enzyme. Genetic engineering is quite different from your traditional cross breeding, where genes can only be exchanged between closely related species. As where in genetic engineering you can insert genes into two completely different species. Worldwide there are nearly 400 million acres of farmland that grow genetically engineered crops. These crops consist of cotton, corn, soybean, and rice. Over 60 percent of all processed foods purchased by U.S. consumers are manufactured with genetically engineered ingredients. Scientist have noticed that species are easily crossed using this technology. There are many good outcomes with this technology, as well as bad outcomes. Due to this there are a great deal of controversy, concern, and debate. My stance on genetic engineering is that I am against it!

This means that farmers and scientists are collecting the best and most productive traits from plants and changing a part of its DNA, rather that maintaining the original traits. To make this clear, it is also important to understand that genetic modification is not an ingredient, but rather a breeding method for increased food production.

Genetic engineering by definition is “the group of applied techniques of genetics and biotechnology used to cut up and join together genetic material and especially DNA from one or more species of organism and to introduce the result into an organism in order to change one or more of its characteristics” (miram Webster). This technology has given the human race the ability to design and manufacture the ideal human being. While manipulating and rearranging cells, scientists can transfer characteristics and traits from one living organism into another’s genes. Human genes have a very specific and unique way of coding information about someone’s look, height, behavior as well as other traits and characteristics (USE SOURCE HERE). With genetic engineering’s current abilities, decoded genetic information can be introduced into another human. Scary thought. This process is done by using the DNA of an already living donor and applying them with a separate set of DNA while acquiring only a set list of desired traits. These new changes of traits in the second set of DNA can be done from a

Genetic engineering is a recently developed technology that allows the alteration of the genetic make up of living organisms. This technology allows scientists not only to exchange genes from members of the same species, which is what farmers and nature has been doing throughout history, but also the exchange of genes between completely separate species. For example genetic engendering allows scientists to insert the genes from a fish into a tomato, something that can never happen in nature. Many in the biotechnology industry claim that the recent advancements in this field of research will help solve many of the problems developing countries face. These claims have led to a massive increase in commercial growing of genetically modified

Genetic engineering all started with food. For example, a farmer would want his crops to thrive by making them grow larger. This is done by adding genic modifications to the crops. Early studies of genetic engineering can be traced back to the 1800’sand 1900’s. In 1859, Charles Darwin published the origin of species which gives information of the knowledge of breeding during that time. Gregor Mendel released his discoveries on peas which became the foundation of modern genetics. T.H.Morgan demonstrated that chromosomes are the concrete entities which are to be held by the genes. These are just a background of knowledge on how genetic engineering has started.

Genetic engineering is the changing of an organism’s DNA, genetic material to eliminate unwanted traits or to produce desirable traits. The earliest form of genetic engineering dates back to the scientist Gregor Mendel who did experiments with peas. He bred only the peas with the most desirable traits in order to achieve a healthier and stronger pea. This method, called selective breeding, is still used today with plants and animals in order to increase food production. Corn plants are selectively bred in order to produce a larger tastier kernel. Another type of genetic engineering called hybridization or crossbreeding involves breeding animals of different species in order to obtain the most desirable traits of both. Male donkeys are crossbred with female horses to produce mules,