Genetically Modified Plants Essay example

The concept of intentionally altering an organism’s DNA in order to produce genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been critically analyzed by both science and the mainstream media in the last decade. However, the genetic modification of organisms is not a recent innovation as humans have been modifying organisms for over 30 000 years (Rangel, 2015). Back then, breeding through artificial selection was the most prominent method of genetic engineering. Organisms with the most desirable traits would be bred together in order to create a new generation of superior organisms. Throughout the centuries, the developments in science and technology have resulted in new methods of genetic engineering. Now, genomes can be spliced in order to insert or remove genes. It has essentially come down to a copy and paste process with genes from animals being inserted into plants as the common practice.

Genetically modified crops are harmful to humans and the environment and shouldn't be used. Agriculture should proceed in harmony with nature and nature only. That is why some people have decided to buy organically grown food. From their experiences with organic food, they believe that the organic system can be economically practical. This system also provides a wide range of environmental and social benefits, and most importantly, it enables consumers to make a choice about the food they eat. According to Diana Brander, an American biology teacher, we should have the choice of the type of food we eat.

The term GM food are most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Genetically modified plants have been widely publicised as the future in agriculture. Many believe that it may help improve crop harvests and farm productivity by developing genetically modified crops that can either resist pests or chemicals. But despite the promise that GM crops may offer, there are still doubts that linger among a number of people as well.

However, the use of the GM seeds for food production can quickly render a harmful impact to the user. Lee & Burrell (2002) stated, “Intense concerns about the uncertain health and environmental of GM farming have been the subject of high profile debate. The effects of GM farming on existing forms of agriculture, raised by the prospect of cross-pollination by GM seed, provoke similarly polarized views” It is common that genetic engineering process often takes place by joining different genes of plants together to come up with a whole species of the plant. Unfortunately, this process can easily result in coming up with plants with genes that are harmful to the consumers. Most of the genetically modified food staffs can

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

This procedure has also been performed successfully in the lab with dicots, broadleaf plants, soybeans and tomatoes for many years. Through this procedure, the desired gene and marker is inserted into the tDNA of the plasmid. Tissues of the organism are then transferred to a medium containing an antibiotic or herbicide in order to tell if the organism has successfully taken up the desired gene because only the tissues expressing the marker will survive. These tissues are then grown under controlled environmental conditions in tissue cultures containing nutrients and hormones so that whole plants are grown. When plants are grown and have produced seed, an evaluation of the progeny is done making sure that the desired traits have been passed on (Understanding GMOs).

Scientists discover many technologies that are implemented to better the world such as Genetically Modified Organisms, in spite of that there are many awoken dangers when dealing with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs is an artificial method of breeding that is similar to natural selection, however they differ in the fact that GMOs have a gene from an entirely different species. Almost every product has GMOs inside of it, nonetheless there are organic crops which are GMO-free. Actually, many consumers that buy GMO products do not know that they are GMOs at all. GMOs are used to provide insecticide-resistance and pesticide-resistance to crops. Scientists are also trying to implement genes to increase yield as well and other beneficial

“The history of GMOs started in the 1840s in Czechoslovakia with the study of pea plants once it was discovered that plants could be altered to take on the characteristics of one another experiments were performed to see if a better pea plant could be produced with the dominant characteristics of other pea plants and this gave way to the idea of heredity” (Pitman 2002). Working from these first discovery molecular biologists has produced GMOs that have proven to be both useful and dangerous.

Genetically modified crops, GM crops, are plants with modified DNA by using genetically engineered methods. GM crops have been commonplace across the globe since 1996. “Over a billion acres of genetically modified corn and cotton have mostly been planted in the United States” (Akpan 2013). The ideal genes are then placed from plant to another. There are two main techniques used to transfer genes from one plant to another. The first method is using a device called a “gene gun”. First, the DNA is covered in tiny particles of gold then it is shot into the other plant cells with the gene gun (James, 2014). Once the DNA is placed into the plant cells, it combines with the other DNA of the receiving plant’s DNA (Whitehouse 2003).

Producers have been manipulating DNA in the reproduction of their products before Gregor Mendel founded the modern understanding of genetics. Thus, genetically modified organisms -GMOs- are simply more advanced hybrids. The World Health organization defines GMOs as organisms in which their genetic information has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally (Blair, 2015). The controversy regarding genetically modified organisms has been prevalent not only in the agricultural community, but academic conversation as well. Although many organizations and individuals claim genetically modified organisms are malicious to human health as well as the environment, they are indeed the basis for healthy, sustainable agriculture that not only provide a quality product for the consumer, but a safe and nutritious product as well.

Food on the market could currently be poisoned. How so? GMOs. GMO stands for genetically modified organism. In food this refers to how DNA, genetic material, is inserted for one species into another. Be it from one type of tomato to another, or from a flower into corn, all of this is considered genetically modified. GMOs have existed since the last century, meaning GMOs are a new technology and the effects, both long and short, are unknown. The effects of GMOs, since their inception, has been heavily debated. There are lots of varying opinions on effects, whether there are any or not, or to what extent do GMOs have effects. Currently, there seems to be no connection between negative

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE

In this brief, the reader will see how organic and genetically modified organisms are viewed and interpreted. They will see the “facts” about the genetically modified organisms and organic organism, and how producers and consumers view this. The reader will be able to understand what is actually happening to genetically modified organisms and organic organisms during the production and when it is getting processed. They will also learn about certified organic and the USDA organic and how each one is determined in the production. Everybody has an opinion about organic and GMO and believes which ones are better. The reader of this paper will also learn the differences between organic and GMOs and the pros and cons of each of them. After reading this paper the reader will be educated on what to buy at the grocery store between organic and GMO. Organic and GMO will always be a topic that has controversy.

The coding region of the gene is usually fused to a promoter, most commonly used is the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CMV), in order to promote higher expression levels. (Snow et. al, 1997) The popular method for genetic engineering of crop plants is natural gene transfer via an Agrobacterium tumefaciens vector, a bacterium normally found in soils. The transfer-DNA (T-DNA) vector is made by inserting the desired gene fragment in between specific 25bp repeat domains in the bacterium. The vector is then inserted into the Agrobacterium and "the virulence gene products of Agrobacterium actively recognize, excise, transport, and integrate the T-DNA region into the host plant genomes." (Conner et. al, 1999) The amount of DNA transferred is only about 10kb and the nature of the gene is usually well understood. The expression of the gene introduced can also be controlled by adding additional sequences that might allow the gene to be constitutively expressed, expressed only in certain cell types, or expressed as a result of different environmental changes. This method of gene transfer, however, will only work for the natural host range of the bacterium and therefore other methods are used for additional crop plants. Such methods are uptake of naked DNA by electroporation or particle gun bombardment. The use of genetic markers, as mentioned previously, allows for the preferential growth of cultures that contain the new genetic

One industry that plays a vital role in our society is the agricultural industry. The agricultural industry is responsible for the growth of all our valuable crops such as cotton, corn, fruits, other vegetables etc. These crops are planted and then gathered to be sold to consumers. These primary resources are important to our daily lives because they are valuable sources of food and clothing, which are highly needed for our survival in life. Over time, it has been discovered that genetic engineering in plants can be an alternative way to “alter a plant’s genetic makeup” (Nutrition & Weight Control for Longevity, 2005). Why would we want to alter a plant’s genetic makeup? Well, the main reason is to “produce a desired characteristic or weed out an undesirable one” of a plant (Nutrition & Weight Control for Longevity, 2005). Approximately “75% of processed foods contain at least some genetically engineered ingredients” (Nutrition & Weight Control for Longevity, 2005). In the United States, soy beans, cotton and corn are among the many crops that are genetically modified to “resist common herbicides” (Nutrition &