Genetically Modified Plants And Its Effects

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).

One of the major reasons for the use of GMOs was stated by Chris Black, a plant science major and owner of Richland Plant Food Company. When Mr. Black was asked the question, “Why do farmers now use GMOs when growing crops”, he said “It really helps the everyday farmer with economics and efficiency. Since the US population is always increasing, GMOs have made a cheaper food source to the American Market.” Mr. Black also stated that “It also helps farmers save thousands of dollars in insecticide and herbicide cost that can become overwhelming, because many of the GMO seeds now have this trait. Plus Genetically Engineered crops are more environmentally friendly than organic crops, because they require less water than organic

2. There is no economic value. GMO foods take just as long to mature and take just as much effort to grow, meaning that there is no real economic value to growing GMO foods when compared to non-GMO

GMO food are bigger and cheaper to produce, thus it is easier to feed more people for less money.

GMO foods can protect anyone who eats them from disease and famine. GMO food products are manufactured to give the consumer a healthier option for buying groceries, assist the economy, and benefitting the producer by using less time to try meeting demands. In fact, the consumer and the producer benefit from costs being low, and supply meeting demand. Citizens obtain what they desire, at a low price, with improved flavor and disease prevention. The essay will demonstrate many ways on how crops that are genetically modified help all people in the nation.

An acronym that has become seemingly ubiquitous throughout the supermarkets, food advertisements, and food labels, GMO has swept the nation. So, what exactly does the acronym GMO mean? The term GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. The definition of a Genetically Modified Organism is any organism whose genetic material has been modified or altered, especially through genetic engineering techniques. The genomes of various organisms, from single-celled microbes to multicellular plants and animals, can be purposely transformed using recombinant DNA technology. The transgenic organisms are used mainly in the production of pharmaceuticals, gene therapy, and agriculture. These modifications are also,

The first reason genetically modified foods are beneficial to the society is that they can feed all of the growing population. Genetically modified foods have been said to help end world hunger if people begin to grow them (“Genetically modified organism (GMO)”). With a growing population which has to be fed, will require agriculture to do a better job in using water, nutrients, and energy, while reducing pollution.

It’s clear that Genetically modified foods have negative impact on the consumers. Furthermore, the production of the GMOs results to increased use of herbicides and other chemicals. This chemical have a negative effect on the environment. Furthermore, the genetically modified foods have possibilities of producing unpredictable side effects. All this effects have costs that results to the process of combating them. Therefore, the negative impacts and associated costs of the negative impacts outweighs the cost of producing the food in the

Carolyn, thank you for your in-depth post on the exciting field of biotechnology, genetically engineered foods, and human genome. I also found this subject interesting and wanted to expound on the pros and cons of genetically engineered foods.

There is many different kinds of food that is not known what it is actually made from. The most common type of food that is in everyday life is a GMO. What is a GMO? 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 because this involves the transfer of genes, GMOs are also known as “transgenic” organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same. GMOs positively affect the lives of everyone .

With 92% of corn, 94% of soybeans, and 94% of cotton being genetically modified and with upwards of 75% of processed foods containing GMOs according to the Center of Food Safety, GMOs are clearly a very important topic. According to Whole Foods, GMOs or genetically modified organisms are organisms whose DNA has been altered. The reason for the creation of GMOs was for the purpose of increasing plant productivity by engineering them to resist certain diseases, produce their own pesticides, etc. and is mostly prevalent in North America (“GMO”). According to the Genome News Network, in 1973, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen were the first to accomplish the direct manipulation of genes using genetic modification (“Genetics”). Because of GMOs are such a new technology, there has been some debate over the safety of GMOs. Genetically Modified Organisms have been considered to be controversial; however, they have had an overall positive impact on the world.

Genetical Modified Organisms (GMO’s) are created when scientists manipulate an organism’s genes to create a new strain of species with similarities but also differences from the original species. Zika is spread through a type of mosquito called Aedes aegypti also known as yellow fever mosquito. These mosquitos originated from Africa and came to the United States through ships. The mosquitos tend to stay in tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world including Argentina to the southern parts of the United States. These mosquitos go through a complete life cycle going from egg to larva to pupa to an adult and the life cycle in all takes about 6 weeks to complete. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is known for carrying yellow fever and now Zika which is why scientists are trying to genetically modify them to no longer carry these diseases (“Yellow Fever Mosquito- “.). GMO’s are being used to help contain the spread of Zika and other mosquito held diseases around the world. Zika was first discovered in mosquitos around 1948 in Africa. Since its discovery Zika has developed from a mild illness to something that can cause severe neurological complications in those who have been infected (Musso, et al.,,2016). The increase numbers of people being effected by Zika and the increase in risks associated with the disease have led to a curiosity of using GMO’s to contain the disease.

Studies have shown that this generation’s life expectancy may be shorter than its predecessor, why is that? It is proven that in the United States, roughly about 60 to 70% of processed foods in supermarkets contain many genetically modified components (Kelly). GMOs, also known as genetically modified organisms, are organisms that have had had its DNA spliced and manipulated in a laboratory by fusing genes from other organisms such as animals, bacteria, or viruses (Kelly). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the history of genetically modified organisms goes back to the 1920’s when a large corporation, Monsanto, was first experimenting with its chemical production by using

Genetically modified crops are both crucial and inevitable in feeding the world’s growing population, but with its potential health threats still unknown, stricter government regulations should be enforced.

According to Bakshi (p.211), the use of biotechnology in agricultural production is a major tool for enhancing food security and sustaining the environment. Biotechnology is considered important in addressing the challenge of food availability, alleviation of poverty and environmental conservation. In this regard (Tramper et al 408), it is important to note that GMOs are produced by the introduction of extra genetic information into a certain organism through genetic engineering. The methods are a natural creation of the strategies hitherto employed with an aim of getting different varieties and strains. While some have seen GMOs as a solution to hunger, others have considered this innovation a danger as far as food security is concerned.