Genetically Modified Organisms

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

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference between adult returning students and traditional aged students regarding their perceptions of the health risks associated with Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foods among students attending a small, Midwestern college. At this time, no empirical research has been found that have studied the perceptions of health risks associated with GMO foods among students in a small, Midwestern college. There is a gap between the perceptions of the health risks associated with GMO foods among students attending a small, Midwestern college.

There is controversy over GMOs, especially with regard to their use in producing food. The dispute involves buyers, biotechnology companies, governmental regulators, non-governmental organizations, and scientists. The key areas of controversy related to GMO food are whether GM food should be labeled, the role of government regulators, the effect of GM crops on health and the environment, the effect on pesticide resistance, the impact of GM crops for farmers, and the role of GM crops in feeding the world population. In 2014, sales of products which had been labeled as non-GMO grew 30 percent to $1.1 billion.[137]

Since then, developments in agriculture had allowed for GMO crops to be harvested and sold on grocery store shelves. In 1994, the first GMO crop, a tomato genetically modified to have a longer shelf life, and bruise less quickly and easily had hit the world by storm, influencing the production of all crops after. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the use of GMOs in our food production was a normal occurrence, and one

Transgenic species are produce by genetic engineering. Genetic engineering involves the process of taking samples of one species genes/DNA and transferring it into a new host cell, this cell containing the DNA will then grow into the new cell creating a transgenic species. DNA samples can also be inserted into the new species by acting as a virus or by using a micro-pipette injection. Transgenic species are mainly used in fruit and vegetables to prevent pests eating the food supply. Genetic engineering is also used for commercial purposes. One example of successful transgenic species is a strawberry plant with a salmon gene inserted into it, the salmon gene helps the strawberries grow in a colder environment. These crops are also known as GMO’s (genetically modified organisms).

Genetically modified food like many believe, is messing up the natural balance of things. But it’s given farmers markets a better chance at business. It helps the farmers grow bigger and healthier food that not only looks more appealing but it also has more nutritional value. Most people would consider this an improvement but some don’t see it that way, a lot of these so called “improvements” are very hazardous to the human body. Genes typically transfer from the GM foods to the cells in the body, or the bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract would be a great cause for concern if the

There are many unique and different organisms. They are all so different because they evolve. Organisms are constantly changing and adapting to be better suited to their environment. The organisms that survive produce their offspring that may have new adaptations or be well adapted. New generations of organisms keep changing and producing differences. The different and unique organisms on Earth are products of genetic variation, natural selection and adaptations, and evolution.

The controversy over genetically modified organisms is giving agriculture an undesirable reputation that has to change in order for agriculture to continue to be a thriving industry. Most people don’t understand the actual definition of a GMO, which is why they think these foods are bad for them. A GMO is a genetically modified organism that has been modified for the good of the product, with a goal of becoming a more desirable product. These foods have been changed so that they can get more positive feedback from the consumers without dramatically changing the price of the product. All of these factors add up to why these new GMOs aren’t harmful and they help contribute to farmers’, ranchers’ and scientists’ lives. Most of the crops grown in Southwestern Virginia, or Appalachia are GMO related crops.

First, one unarguable fact about GMOs is that they can spread their pollen like any other plant or crop, because despite their modifications, they are still plants. The genetically modified genes contained in this pollen can easily spread and pollinate non-GMO crops or other plants, contaminating the previously “organic” crops (Borel). Although the effects of such contamination are yet to reveal themselves as dangerous or not, the adulteration of the natural crop is something that happens very often. One instance of this occurred in 2006, when “pollen from a genetically-modified bentgrass that was being tested in Oregon by the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company for commercial turf mixed with natural grasses growing nearby. The herbicide-tolerant genes changed the genetic structure of the natural grasses,” (Driscoll). If the use of GMOs remains unrestricted, and this spreading continues indefinitely, eventually no natural crop will remain pure and untouched. The choice to eat organic food will have been decimated, as a small percentage of everything available will have a genome modified by human hands. Similarly, certain benefits provided to crops through modification are directly destructive to the environment. An example of this is the fusion of pesticides and crops, to guard the plant and fend off insects; these pesticides “could seep into the ground and change the properties

With a vast majority of seeds owned by GMO corporations, genetic drifts and cross contamination with organic fields are common through out the farmlands. Today’s organic farmers have to be cautious of the threats of GMO cross contamination because it leaves the crops damaged and unmarketable. Organic farmers are also left with the fear of legal action from GMO corporations putting small local farms at fault for patent infringement causing them to loose everything they have or sign to an

Since their first moment on shelves in 1994, the safety of GMOs has been a controversial topic. GMOs or genetically modified organisms are ‘advanced’ organisms created by scientists taking helpful fragments of other species DNA and inserting into the DNA stream of another organism. GMOs have created tomatoes that don't freeze in the winter, and apple that cannot become brown, but at what cost? Citizens have voiced their concerns regarding modifying natural plants and after research overall, it became clear that GMOs are harmful to other organisms. GMOs have been linked to bacterial infections, and very severe consequences like chronic conditions and birth defects, which most likely coincides with the rapidly increasing amount of dangerous

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) is a research facility procedure of taking genes from one species and embedding them into another, trying to get a desired trait or characteristic. This topic was chosen since it’s getting to become a more serious issue. In spite of the fact that GMOs have been around for a long time, it was not until just recently that individuals have turned out to be more concerned with them. Organizations are infusing chemicals into the food in the request to make it look more presentable and deliver expansive mass measures of crop in a shorter time frame, in order to yield a larger profit. Numerous organizations that create genetically modified organisms, such as Monsanto, attempt to pretend that the items they

A discovery that gives natural food products the power to withstand herbicide sprayings and even produce its own pesticides has achieved world recognition. Although this innovation, known as a GMO (genetically modified organism), has become extremely influential in the produce industry, the unfamiliarity of the potential dangers continues to be overlooked. The use of GMOs within food has provoked a major controversy among people worldwide. There are many cases supporting and opposing the use of GM (genetically modified) foods, however, a well-debated aspect of this dispute is whether a product containing GMOs should be legally required to have a label stating that the specific food has been genetically engineered. In the United States, many consumers are unaware of these alterations fabricated in a laboratory. However, the people who are knowledgeable have concerns that genetically engineered foods have an increased risk of health issues due to the unnatural substances.

Genetically modified organisms are crops that have a gene from one organism inserted into the DNA sequence of another organism in order to gain beneficial traits (McWilliams 351). Beneficial traits that may result from the genetic modification of crops include herbicide resistance, insect resistance, or drought tolerance (McWilliams 351). The concept of genetically modifying food is a concept that makes many people skeptical about what is being done to the food that they eat. After careful research, it is evident that there are many potentially harmful aspects of genetically modified organisms. The negative aspects of genetically modified organisms include adverse health effects, their inability to solve world hunger, heavier use of pesticides and herbicides, loss of biodiversity, damage to the small farming business, the fact that the companies that control them have become too powerful, and inadequate labeling practices.

For many years, humans have been controlling plants for food creation. This started at a very simple level, seeds from the speediest increasing, highest producing, finest tasting and best nutritive plants for the coming season. This type of normal reproduction finally directed to the advancement of crossbreed yields which included hybrid, two naturally diverse shapes in identical type and normally the same classes. These variations in the floras were restricted to the genetic factors that previously existed inside the floras. This all altered considerably through the start of genetic engineering in 45 and 35 years ago. Genetic engineering permitted the exchange or transfer of genes from species, even between genus of various domains, as when microbe DNA was added into floras (Hoffman, 2013).