preview

Genetically Modified Organisms ( Gmos )

Decent Essays

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genetic information has been altered in order to create a desired physiological characteristic. Genetic modification is used for a variety of subjects such as improving medicine and agriculture or even modifying domestic animals for aesthetic purposes. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the topic of GMOs due to the fact that it is a relatively new form of science and the long term effects of these organisms are not known, because of this, there is a lot of stigma and antagonism towards this field of science, especially with regards to the food that we consume. Genetic manipulation has been an ancient practice seen as early as 10 500 BC (Zohary, Hopf & Weiss, 2012), where …show more content…

This is known as recombinant GMOs and the non-native proteins have also been modified to some extent in order for it to be a suitable expression in its new host. This is known as transgenic modification (Rotman, 2013) A majority of food that we consume has been genetically altered in some particular way. Genetic modification serves the greatest purpose in this industry, as many agricultural products are extremely venerable to external forces such as disease and weather. For example, in the early 1990s, Hawaii’s papaya population was on the brink of extinction due to the deadly ringspot virus. If it were not for genetic engineering, Hawaii’s entire papaya industry would have collapsed. 80% of Hawaii’s papaya population is genetically engineered such as the hybrid “SunUp” which is able to resist the ringspot virus, as there are no organic or conventional ways to contain the virus (Ronald, Pamela, McWilliams, & James, 2010). Furthermore foods are modified in order to make the food more desirable such as reducing the size or the number of seeds such as the creation seedless grapes and watermelons. A majority of the food we consume has been modified in some way whether it has been through selective breeding or through more modern practices (Rotman, 2013). The scientific field of genetic modification is often used within the agricultural industry. Genetically modified foods are used to reduce costs, increase output, limit pesticides or

Get Access