Scientists all over the world have come up with new ways to improve our everyday lives. One of these examples are GMO. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism, and with this, the scientists are able to alter an organism 's gene and make a new product. One of the benefits that come out of GMO is, scientists are able to produce genetically modified foods. Today 80% of the food we consume have been genetically modified, such as: wheat, cotton, corn, and many more. In this assignment I was able to choose any organism that was GM (genetically modified). The organism that I have chosen, is called the Golden Rice.
In the year of 2000, the first genetically modified rice was successively introduced into the world by two scientists, Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg. The original name of the Golden Rice was called SGR1. The Golden Rice is genetically modified so that vitamin A is in every grain of Golden Rice. Although the rice plant can naturally make the beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, it only occurs in the leaf of the rice plant during photosynthesis. However, for the scientists to make the Golden Rice they had to insert the genes of a daffodil (phytoene synthase) and a gene from a soil bacterium called Erwinia uredovora (carotenoid desaturase) into the rice nuclear genome and under the endosperm promoter. By putting the genes in the promoter of the endosperm, the Vitamin A was able to be
In a perfect world, what would everyone have? Well, they most likely would have good health, money, stability, and proper environment to live very productive lives. This is what people strive to have, but very few receive. Why? There are many reasons. One reason might be the lack of agricultural advancement in many countries. If these countries were to embrace genetically modified crops, the citizens would have much better lives. According to Osakabe, Yuriko, Kajita, and Osakabe, in their article “Genetic Engineering Of Woody Plants: Current And Future Targets In A Stressful Environment”, genetic engineering in plants is better than traditional breeding methods because “…they bypass the long generation for breeding…” (106).
Genetically modified foods have contributed to better foods in terms of food quality and human health.
After reading through the case and the opinions of rest of the team members I believe that Ventria would be better of relocating to a smaller rice growing state. That being said there will still be some arguments against their relocations. The state government of the other state may be reluctant to accept Ventria’s proposal too. So I believe they should grow these genetically modified plants in a more contained environment. By producing the rice in a more secluded setting with access to water and enough space to setup their own sewage or wastage system will help Ventria to convince the concerned government and its adversaries that the production of genetically modified rice would not affect the production of other crops. Another argument against
Enserink, Martin. "Tough Lessons from Golden Rice." Science. AAAS, 25 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 Sept. 2015. .
Golden rice, a GMO developed through viruses and daffodils was introduced to the public as an answer
While genetic management of foods can be traced throughout history, the modern phenomena of GMOs and transgenic plants have come to light in just the last few decades. In today’s modern society, the science of biotechnology and the process of genetic modification are developing throughout the planet. As of 2004, 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries were using genetically modified crops. Today, approximately two- thirds of all food offered in supermarkets has been genetically modified. However, the subject of GMO’s is one of great controversy. Although this modern invention does have some positive results on the food industry it also has brought some negative consequences along with it.
The human population is growing rapidly. With the growth in the human population, the demand for food is also growing at an unprecedented rate. Arguably, farms are unable to naturally provide the world’s population the food needed by natural means. This may seem like a big issue, but humans came up with an ingenious solution: genetically modified organisms, commonly known as GMO’s. Genetically modified food has been able to offset the worlds growing demand for food, and all our food problems seem to be solved. Or have they? I will use information from: Wendell Berry’s, The Pleasures of Eating, Jon Entine and JoAnna Wendel’s, 2000+ reasons Why GMO’s Are Safe to Eat, Robin Mather’s, The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods, along with references from Food Inc., to explain how genetically modified food is being used in a way that negatively affects the livestock, our health, the ecosystem, and the potential threats genetically modified crops have on our future.
Many products aimed at bio-fortification are in the production process within the agricultural industry. Developing countries that struggle with malnutrition are the main concern for this area of study. The FAO stated, “ For example, genes responsible for producing the precursor of vitamin A have been inserted into rice plants, which have higher levels of vitamin A in their grain. This is called Golden Rice. As rice feeds more than 50 percent of the world's population, it could help reduce vitamin A deficiency, which is a serious problem in the developing world.” (FAO, 2003). This nutritional advancement is only possible with the utilization of genetically modified
How long will Americans allow themselves to be blindsided while consuming food where they think they know what it contains, but will learn that they are very wrong. Not only do we not know what our food contains, but we also don 't realize the future health problems we are allowing into our bodies to intake. Genetically Modified Foods (GMO’s) are a serious problem that we are unfortunately surrounded with every day, without even knowing it. GMO’s were invented to create a product with a lower price, but with better nutritional value or durability. Although this is what they are intended for, scientists soon discovered after they were introduced that they might run into some unplanned problems. Whenever scientists test how animals react to eating genetically modified foods, they can react with symptoms starting from small sicknesses, all the way to tumors, or even death. This happens only if the animal is actually wiling to eat the GMO. A lot of studies have shown animals will refuse to eat genetically modified organisms, so why are we not listening to them? Genetically Modified Foods should not be produced because they are unsafe for humans to intake, the FDA does not require the public to be notified when they are used, and they poorly effect the environment.
Genetically modified (GM) foods are helping lives one life at a time! The question everyone is asking in today's society is if GM foods are helping people or hurting people. Some people believe that GM foods are going to end up hurting the environment just like the Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, (DDT) did in the 1940's. Just because the scientist are changing the genetic code of the plant does not mean it is hurting anyone. The foods are healthier, larger, and they can provide food in a time of need. GM foods are a big help in today's society.
The genetically engineered rice had these new genes that contaminated this rice crop. These genes were extracted from bacteria which let the rice crop to survive the herbicide (liberty). This herbicide killed many plants including the red rice that was grown with this rice crop. Before this the herbicide would both kill the red rice and the good rice crop. So this bacteria gene allowed the good rice crop to live while killing the
In her article, Qiu offers an unbiased view of both sides of the argument, educating the reader on the pros and cons of China’s proposed GM rice project. She sets the scene with her description of the rice paddies that Chinese scientists have been testing transgenic rice in for the past ten years, then defines the nature and purpose of the genetic alterations that the rice has undergone. Qiu mainly utilizes ethos and logos to make her argument against China’s use of GM rice. She establishes her credibility by citing researchers involved with the project, strengthening her position by acknowledging the merits of the opposition. Further, she refutes the claims of the Chinese researchers by providing quotes and expert opinion from other scientists, biodiversity
“70 percent of our corn farmland and 93 percent of soy farmland are planted with crops genetically engineered to resist pests and herbicides and increase crop yields. 60% of all the processed foods in the United States are genetically modified; a shocking statistic has the concern of many Americans. However, most people are uninformed about the beneficial impact that genetically modified food has on their diet. GM is the use of molecular biology technology to modify the inherited structure of organisms. Genetically engineered crops increase nutrients, drought tolerance, provide more food for growing populations, and resists diseases and pesticides. Genetically engineered foods are crucial to the improvement of economy, agriculture, society, and health choices. The creation of GM foods was one of the most significant breakthroughs in food industry. Genetically modifying foods is a key component that is harmless for the enrichment of our foods.
"Golden Rice" has been developed by scientists to combat vitamin A deficiency, which affects millions of children in the developing worlds. However, as a precautionary means, the crop was offered to the authorities for a safety evaluation which was interrupted when a group of around 400 protestors attacked the field trial in the Bicol region and uprooted all the GM plants. The project, initially started 20 years ago by German researchers with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, relied on modifying the rice through the addition of additional genes that produce beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the digestive process. Vitamin A deficiency is a significant problem in developing countries, which is why golden rice provides such an attractive solution to prevent unnecessary defects and death, especially among younger populations. Yet, farmers from the Philippines are avidly rejecting this crop option because of fears of damage it may cause, while also arguing that they have other solutions for the Vitamin A deficiency problem. However, the “Allow Golden Rice Now!” campaign is led by Dr. Patrick Moore, and aims to convince government officials and the Filipino people to accept Golden Rice as a nutritional and needed addition to their daily diet, with an emphasis on GM rice serving as a much needed golden bullet.
During the last few decades, the field of genetics has been significantly advanced. One of these advancements is the understanding of how genes affect an organism. Through this understanding, geneticists have begun to alter the natural genes found in food. The altercation of genes in food has given these foods the name genetically modified. Currently, the affect of genetically modified food on humans and the environment is a controversial topic among geneticists and environmentalists worldwide. This paper examines the controversy surrounding genetically modified food in the United States and abroad.