Genetically Modified Organisms Essay

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines genetically modified foods as: “foods [that are] derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism” (WHO, year). GM foods are constructed and distributed because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer. For a GM food to be of theoretical benefit to the consumer and society as a whole, it should: increase crop yields due to the introduced resistance to pests and disease, enhance the nutritional

Recently, there has been a huge uprise in reports from all over the world of new diseases that have affected much of the population today. Diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer’s, Celiac Disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and so much more have been on the rise. Researchers have suspected the culprit of these diseases to be our food. Along with the diseases, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has also been on the rise. The more poor food we eat, the greater the potential harm to our health. One of the poor foods we consume is GMO: the altering of genes in food to produce desirable effects. These effects can range from an improvement in nutritional value, texture, flavor, and a longer shelf life. These

When stripped to its core, the conflict lies in whether GMO's are beneficial or detrimental to the human population and the world's ecosystems. Surely we, as a population, have agreed upon the fact that GMO's influence the natural order of things, yet these genetically modified present both pluses and minuses. It is our job to figure out whether they are ultimately good or bad for both nature and the human race. By now, humans have realized that at times it is appropriate to tinker with the balance of nature, such as during famines, droughts, and the slow process

Not only are GMOs harmful to humans they affect many other communities. “GMOs are also responsible for killing off bees, bats, butterflies, and other pollinators, whose bodies are unable to handle the onslaught of altered DNA and chemicals that are characteristic of GMO technologies”(Bensen). This shows that GMO is not only an issue for humans but it directly affects the insect and animals communities around the plants. These are living organisms that these plants need for pollination. GMOs and the pesticides used on these crops to fight off the insects and weeds is creating more powerful weeds and insects called “SuperWeeds” and “SuperBugs.” “And this built-in resistance has allowed farmers to indiscriminately spray chemicals like Roundup on their crops without worrying about killing them. But this system is now failing, as the weeds and pests targeted by GMO technologies have mutated and developed resistance to crop chemicals and Bt toxin” (Benson). These chemicals are effective for a short period of time However these chemicals become ineffective, the offspring of the insects can be immune to the chemical. This creates a need for a new and stronger chemical mix. GMO seeds and destroy the soil and kill beneficial

Would you trust a person that was created in a laboratory? When you eat gmos you are putting your future health in the hands of companies that may only in it for the money. Gmos (genetically modified organism) are living organisms that have genes that have been changed in a laboratory by genetic engineering (nongmoproject). This science makes unstable combinations of plant, animals, bacteria, and viral genes. They are made by taking a organism say a plant then adding DNA from a different plant, bacteria, or virus to it. Giving the original new qualities that it would not be able to have in nature or through crossbreeding methods(webMD). There are eight crops that are genetically modified on a commercial scale in the U.S. These include: Corn, canola, soy, cotton, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, zucchini and yellow summer squash. In the United States, 80% of everyday processed foods contain some sort of gmo. (Gmo project) They are important today because millions of people eat gmos everyday; however the long term effects on people are still unknown. Major restaurants such as Chipotle have already stopped using genetically modified ingredients in their food. They stopped using gmos because they believe their customers should have a restaurant where they can eat fresh, natural food, and should not have to take a health risk to eat their favorite foods(Chipotle). The other side of the fence is that gmos give us the ability to make

While it has been shown that GM crops have a few direct benefits, they may also indirectly cause great ecological harm. Some scientists fear that plants enhanced with Bt (a bacterial species commonly used as pesticide) may accelerate the evolution of Bt-resistant insects, which will cause farmers to lose their crops to the bugs (which defeats the purpose of injecting them with Bt in the first place). Farmers are trying to prevent this catastrophe by using non-resistant bugs from conventional crops to mate with resistant bugs, but this will only delay the inevitable (“Altered Food”). Another issue caused by GMOs is ‘gene flow’. Gene flow is when genes from GM plants spread to non-targeted organic plants from pollen through wind or pollination. The pest- and disease-resistant genes from GM crops can flow onto weeds, giving them the same immunities the crops have. Neither of these two scenarios have many real occurrences presently, but experts believe it is only a matter of time before modification creates the issues it was intended to prevent (“Altered

GMO food can cause an appearance of new diseases. They are unnoticeable,making them a silent killer in the food industry. They also have contributed to the development of many common diseases in the United States, including premature aging, gas problems, organ damage, and more. As well as them being connected with reproductive damage,they also make an appearance of food allergies, and increased infant mortality happen.

When farmers grow genetically modified foods, they are damaging the environment; by labelling these foods, consumers can choose whether to support GMO farmers or go with organic or conventional growers. Ronnie Cummins, founder of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) mentions that “scientists estimate that herbicide-resistant crops planted around the globe will triple the amount of toxic broad-spectrum herbicides used in agriculture” (Genetically Engineered Foods 18). These herbicides are bad for the environment because all non-GMO plants will be killed if these chemicals spread. This would possibly destroy ecosystems and reduce biodiversity between plants and other species. When GM crops are planted, there are less weed flowers; therefore, there is less nectar for pollinators. In addition, toxins released into the soil from GM plants’ roots mean fewer soil bacteria come to exist in an ecosystem (Glass). When GMO

GMO’s, or Genetically Modified Organisms, have recently in the past years become more noticed by the public as they’ve begun to show up in many of our foods and are becoming more and more controversial. A genetically modified organism is an organism that has had genes from the DNA extracted from another organism and have been artificially placed into its genes. It is used to give desirable traits to an organism and to make it easier for the people using it to make profit. There’s been much debate over how the GMO will affect humans and their health, and to date there hasn’t been any solid evidence that GMO harms humans’ health. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the cultivation of GMO and has stated that it is not substantially different from its counterpart, and does not affect the health of humans. There have been several studies however that may say otherwise, though they haven’t been completely proven and is more speculation than anything. Some organizations, such as the AAEM

Despite the fear of certain pests and insects, they play a critical role in the environment due to the intricate food chain and pollination process. For example, bees are hugely important in the pollination of many food crops. However, if a GM crop produces an insecticide that kills bees, biodiversity is reduced. Killing a particular pest that harms a crop does not only threaten the existence of it, but it also jeopardizes the food source for certain animals. Biological concepts such as “survival of the fittest” demonstrate how GM crops could ultimately make the ecosystem less diverse. Along with disruption of the food chain, the spread from pollen and interbreeding with natural organisms will “[contaminate] non 'GE' environments and [impact] future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way” by creating “superweeds” with insecticidal properties or herbicide-resistance (Achenbach). Another environmental drawback of GMOs is that they “require heavy applications of synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, and weed killers--chemicals that can damage the environment” in order to work at peak performance (Anderson). Some Ready Soy fields may require up to 3 coats of Roundup spray per day to accelerate the growth and strengthen endurance against pests. Farmers must consider the environmental drawbacks before deciding to plant GM crop

Because GMOs are not always put through proper testing, there are two common GMOs that are harmful to the world. One of these GMOs are called pesticide producers. These pesticide producers are created by transferring a gene from a bacteria into the crops in order to become resistant to insects. Complications are occurring from these pesticide producers. Over 500 species of bugs have become resistant to these pesticides (GMO OMG). Not only are crops genetically modified to be resistant to insects, but also weeds. The other most prominent type of GMO are herbicide resisters. These crops are also known as roundup ready crops due to their ability to survive from weed killing chemicals. Yet again, there are some major drawbacks to these roundup ready GMOs, such as the adaptation of roundup resistant weeds. Secondly, the 5.1 billion pounds of chemicals used each year across the world with these GMOs are causing severe ecological damage. The process of growing GMO crops emits nearly 40% more greenhouse gasses compared to organic processes. Likewise, the USDA says that in Iowa for every bushel of GMO corn

Throughout the article provided above, the author, David Rotman, is able to present a well researched topic on why the human race needs genetically modified organisms using graphics, different studies, as well as examples from the past, present and future where they describe what the produce production looks like with and without GMOs. Genetically modified organisms are not only beneficial, but necessary for the human race to grow and survive. Many countries have begun using genetically modified organisms for many reasons in recent years. In the United States, about 76% of our corn is genetically modified to repel insects. Other uses of these genes are

Food that is readily available to children in various parts of the world ultimately has an effect on their development, whether it be physical, neurological, or cognitively. Genetically modified food has been an increasingly discussed topic in the past few decades as questions about its nutritional benefits arise. Genetically modified foods are controversial in the United States and other countries around the world (Mohapatra, Priyadarshini, & Biswas, 2010). This technology is used in countries that are both developed and those that are developing, such as Mexico. A concern with genetically modified foods are the health

With an ever-growing population and the problems of world hunger, there has been a high demand for an increased food supply and a better food supply. Technology has been called upon to meet this challenge. The advent of genetically engineered foods, sometimes called transgenic crops or genetically modified foods, is not a new concept, but the controversy over it is. Can these "frankenfoods" be harmful to humans? What are their effects on the environment? The following paper will focus on such questions as well as providing a better understanding of what genetically modified foods are and how they should be regulated.

Genetically Modified insect resistant crops produce the toxic substances as a results it effect non-target organism and entire ecosystem. Biodiversity has significant role to balance environment as biodiversity decreases interaction between species decrease and ecosystem and food chain affect adversely. Some weeds are source of food for