Genetically Modified Organisms : Gmos

Genetic modified organisms, or GMOs, are living organisms that, through the genetic engineering process, have been altered to withstand certain chemicals and increase the nutritional value of the product. In fact, the majority of the foods found at the grocery store are genetically altered. Genetic modification is becoming increasingly popular on farms throughout the United States and moving into other parts of the world due to their increasing yield capabilities and pest and weed control. However, this has been, and continues to be, an extremely controversial topic of discussion in the world of agriculture and biotechnology, as well as health food critics, because of potential environmental and health risks.

GMO’s or Genetically Modified Food is one of the most controversial topics that have been studied and debated for over 40 years. Scientists on both sides of the spectrum claim that these modified foods are safe for consumption, but also some argue that these foods are toxic and very harmful to human life. GMO’s are genetically modified organisms that are created and added in a lab experiment where DNA are extracted from one gene and added to another plant or animal. This allows the genes to mix with the DNA to create a desired product. For example, bigger apples, larger oranges, taller animals, and plants that can survive the changing climate. GMOs are different from organic food and products because chemicals and DNA modification is not needed for these natural stuff.

In a recent article found on Facebook, David Gutierrez described how Thierry Vrain, a former Genetically Modified Organism scientist recently changed his mind on how he personally feels about genetically modified organisms. Previous to this article Vrain was for GMOs and was taking on many experiments on GMOs. However now, he says that he rejects a previous statement of his that said “biotechnology companies engineered crops, have no impact on the environment and of course that they are safe to eat” (Gutierrez, 2016). More interesting about this newspaper article, is that Vrain also now claims that GMOs cause damage to bodily organs in the human, such as the kidneys, liver and spleen. (Gutierrez, 2016). I chose this article because I wanted to see what the real science behind GMOs is, since most crops are being engineered by GMOs. I also wanted to examine why after so long Vrain changed his mind on what he thinks of Genetically Modified Organisms.

A concern that is growing is what we are eating and how it is affecting us. A lot of food is processed today, causing concerns about GMOs. GMOs stands for genetically modified organisms; this means a living organism’s genetic material has been artificially changed in a laboratory. GMOs are combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur naturally or even through “traditional crossbreeding” methods. Many people have questions and concerns about GMOs, and more and more people are starting not to like them. GMOs have taken over most of the US and Canada, many consumers are concerned with their safety of what they are putting in their bodies, and many are under the influence that GMOs are harmful because so many other countries have banned them or require labeling. Genetically Modified Organisms are often confused with hybridization and cross breeding. The differences are GMOs are forced together and include things that are not in nature, while the other two involve two related species being put together. GMOs are more controlled, direct, and specific. Genes are identified, isolated, copied, and introduced into other organisms. The biggest difference between breeding and GMOs would be genetic modification allows genes to transfer between species. GMOs are manipulating DNA, which many believe are harming our bodies; however, humans have been exploiting the creation of new biological variations for centuries, creating many combinations that would never

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a chemical organism processed in a laboratory where genes from the DNA of the crops are extracted and then artificially forced into an unrelated product that, when put into the crops the farmers raise, can chemically change the makeup of the crop. The chemical makeup can be from the change in the skin color of the crop to the actual organic chemistry compound. Genetic engineering is the process of splicing the genes in the crop and taking out a certain chemical on the compound to substitute the original compound. The practice of genetic engineering has been around since 1935 when the Russian scientist Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky isolated pure DNA, and is being used by many farmers and large international corporations (Shireen). For example, a tomato farmer changes the genes of the tomato to prevent a beetle from eating it. However, genetically modified organisms are becoming detrimental to our bodies and health and there are ways the government can help Americans eat healthier by labeling products with genetically modified organisms.

This lab was performed to explore and discover GMOs in food that were given to test. Our group used oats, a GMO positive food, and a test food. Our goal was to find out whether the test food was GMO positive or negative and to record data accordingly. I hypothesized that the test food will be GMO positive. To see if my hypothesis had been correct we performed the process of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), to find the presence of GMO positive or negative DNA in the foods. We first extracted the DNA from the foods, and then added primers to the DNA as well. I then inserted the DNA onto a gel using a micropipette. Using gel electrophoresis and a UV transilluminator we were able to view the staggering results.

Genetically modified organisms, otherwise known as GMOs, are a great danger to humanity. GMOs are genetically altered organisms engineered with the purpose to be resistant to dangerous pesticides, or to repel certain pests or certain viruses. The main purpose of them is to save farmers money when it comes to harvesting crops and cutting down labor costs. Overall, GMOs (also known as biotech or transgenic crops) are not safe and there are many reasons to prove it. First and foremost, GMOs pose a great risk to people’s health. GMOs are not natural. Scientists have developed these to help increase crop yields and profits for farmers and the companies selling the seeds and pesticides. They sacrifice people’s health at the expense of risks such as, humans developing allergies and possible resistance to antibiotics. Second, the environment will suffer greatly from GMOs by increasing the use of harmful herbicides. GMOs have insecticidal properties in their DNA. This on its own can be very harmful and poisonous to the ecosystem. The required herbicides used on GMOs to kill the weeds are also very dangerous to the environment. Lastly, GMOs cause great distress to organic agriculture. The organic agriculture is being compromised and abolished when GMOs come into contact with organic crops. While only a few big companies hoard the seed industry, this can be the demise of the planet’s organic agriculture. That will leave GMO companies in charge of the

Genetically modified organisms as know (GMOs) is polemically in the past years. The purpose of this is to modify organisms; genetic traits in plants are to make them better for the taste, environmental and production. The plant can be stronger and defending about insects, health, herbicides and ecological threats. In some countries, this modification helps to prevent hunger in the population. The traits can be modified adding and subtracting unwanted characteristics that make the plant weak. There is a diversity of products contain GMOs.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are often misconstrued. Most people believe that GMOs are a new way of how foods are being produced, and even though GMOs have been increasing there should still be certain precautions must be taken when consuming GMOs. Being because GMOs can be very serious issues, and since there are a lot of misconceptions about it, it is imperative that people understand what GMOs are and the problems that they are causing.

Over the last two decades, there has been a significant increase in food products containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are substances which have had their genetic material altered through unnatural processes. Since the advent of the first GMO in 1973, the modification of plants and animals through the introduction of a new trait or the alteration of a gene has significantly increased (Aleksejeva 5). With increasing genetic modifications of plants and animals for food products and the widespread presence of GM foods in the market, consumers are beginning to ask more questions about the health effects of these foods.

GMOs are genetically modified organisms. This is when an organism’s or micro organism's genetic makeup has been modified in a lab to meet a specific purpose. The organisms can be anything from animals and livestock to our crops and food. Genetic modification effects many of the foods we eat every single day. Some crops are genetically modified to be insect resistant, grow faster, or get bigger. There is a lot of debate in the scientific community whether GMOs are safe to consume or not and what the effects might look like if they did carry certain risks with them. With all the genetically modified crops that are now being grown around the world, we have to start asking whether or not they are good for us long term, as almost

As of the year 2000, 37 percent of the Earth’s total land area was devoted to agriculture (Unit 7). Humans consume more than 11 million pounds of food every minute or about 5.8 trillion pounds per year (Thomson, 2014). All of this food production influences countless aspects of our lives, including the global economy. So, it is imperative that the farming methods we choose to implement are optimized. One method that has become popular yet controversial is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Some people believe that organic practices provide the best quality food. Others consider genetic modification to be the most beneficial by allowing farmers to produce more crops with the same amount or even less space. The fact is, GMOs are in almost everything we consume. Significant research demonstrates that they benefit our society by providing more food, while using less energy and less space to do so.

Genetically modified organisms can be animals, plants, or microorganisms that have been modified at the genetic level using genetic engineering techniques. Specific genes are inserted in these organisms in order to achieve a certain trait. Although there are many applications for GMO’s such as enhanced growth in animals or the generation of transgenic mice for research purposes, the most common, and controversial, GMO application is crop plants. A variety of crop plants have been modified genetically to increase their yield, decrease the price of some foods, and give them a resistance against some diseases and herbicides. Certain people are in favor of GMO’s because they argue that humanity has always been modifying organisms through animal and plant selective breeding, so it wouldn’t hurt to do this through more specific and advanced engineering techniques. While this might be the case for some people, others oppose

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have served as a topic of great debate in recent years. Before the existence of genetic engineering, humans have used the process of artificial selection to only breed certain organisms with desirable traits or genetic qualities. While this practice has been proven to be effective, selective breeding can only manipulate the naturally occurring variations within different breeds. Genetic engineering allows scientists to break this limitation by introducing genes into an organism from a completely unrelated species. This practice is commonly carried out on consumer goods such as crops, livestock, and bacteria. These GMOs can offer a variety of advantageous products, including

For many years Americans have been purchasing and consuming Genetically Modified Foods. Not all Americans have been aware of this, in fact many people do not even know what a GMO is. Author Jeffery Smith wrote, "A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans." Big Biotech companies tell consumers that (GMO) foods are very beneficial. Biotech companies have been promising that they can feed the world by using GMO food. Companies like Monsanto tell Americans that GM foods are full of nutrition. Companies are even genetically modifying vaccines and medications. There are many risks involved with GM foods. GMOs contain toxins and can cause infections in humans and animals. GM foods help destroy beneficial bacteria. GM foods are mutated, and they are creating new allergies in humans. GM foods are causing cancer in humans and in animals. Many people do not know that GMOs even exist. The world needs to be educated about GMOs so that they have a chance to save themselves and their loved ones.