History Of Genetically Modified Organism ( Gmo ) Essay

In 1935 DNA was Discovered by a Russian scientist by the name of Andrei Nikolaevitch Belozersky (Woosley). In 1982 the FDA approved the first GMO product, the product was introduced as Insulin (Woosley). Insulin is a medicine that regulates the amount of glucose in the blood. If there is too much glucose it could cause a form of diabetes. The first ever

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

The UDSA is carefully monitoring the development of genetically modified foods by using a similar testing protocol that is used to approve drugs for the human market. As of 2000, there were over 40 plant species that were approved for commercial distribution in the United States (Whitman, 2000). As the population of the world continues to grow, so does the interest in genetically modified foods as a potential solution. However, there are those that do not agree.

The 1980’s marked the scientific breakthrough that specific pieces of DNA could be taken from one organism to another. This became the basis of the genetic modification process. In 1983, a tobacco plant resistant to anti-biotics was created, becoming the first transgenic plant. It then took another decade before the first genetically-altered crop was commercially introduced. This was the famous delayed-ripening "Flavr-savr" tomato approved by the FDA on May 18, 1994. The tomato was fed to mice in laboratory test who, normally relishing tomatoes, refused to eat these lab-creations and had to be force-fed. Several of the mice developed stomach lesions and seven of the forty mice died within two weeks. Without any more safety testing the tomato was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for commercialization. However, it ended up as a production and commercial failure, and was ultimately abandoned in 1996(Lacey). Secret documents were made public from a lawsuit that showed the scientific consensus at the agency was that genetically modified foods were inherently dangerous and might create hard-to-detect allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require strict, long-term tests, but the White House under George H. W.

The origin of GMOs started in 1982 by an experiment done by the United States Department of Agriculture, in which they changed the genes of a tomato plant. Commercial use of Genetically Engineered crops began in 1996 (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. pg 7). While developing Genetically Modified Organisms, scientists and researchers characterized the types of Genetically Engineered crop traits into

The Monsanto Co. was the first company to introduced GM foods into the market. These foods had built in herbicides

The first genetically engineered whole product--a tomato--went on the market in 1994. The FDA determined that the new tomato, which could be shipped vine-ripened without rotting rapidly, was as safe as other commercial tomatoes. Since then, more than 50 other genetically engineered foods have been determined by the agency to be as safe as their conventional counterparts.

The genetic engineering of foods has, in one sense, been in existence for hundreds of years. The first time Gregor Mendel bred different varieties of pea plants to observe the various traits present in their offspring, the concept was born. Today, genetic engineering has developed into one of the most complex and advanced fields of scientific thinking, all the while provoking many questions and acquiring many opponents along the way. While there are compelling arguments presented for each side of the issue, the simple fact is that genetically modified (GM) foods are a reality, especially in the United States, as they are already present in many products that are consumed on a daily

In 1982 the very first genetically modified plant was produced, this plant was an antibiotic resistant tobacco plant. The very first trials

GMO food began in the early 1990s. In 1994 the FDA approved GMO tomatoes and they began to sell them in grocery stores, these delayed ripening and allowing the tomato to have longer shelving life. Although the FDA approved GMOs to be safe to

    The development of recombinant DNA techniques have allowed desired genes to be inserted into a plant genomes resulting in plants that are totally different to the parent plant. The first genetically modified plant-antibiotic resistant tobacco and petunias-were produced in 1983, but it was until 1994 that US markets saw the first genetically modified species of tomato, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then, several transgenic crops have received FDA

Through a mist of unknown possibility, genetic engineering more or less began in the height of disco. A company called Genentech Inc. opened its doors in the year 1976 in San Francisco, California by Robert Swanson and Dr. Herbert Boyer. According to Genentech’s website, their first major discovery was the ability to synthesize a protein called somatostain (“A History of Firsts”). Somatostatin is a protein that is created by the pancreas and brain to help regulate the production of many different hormones. They were able to create this protein by genetically modifying E. coli bacteria. The company was able to have major advancements, even within the first year and there were many more to come.

A little later, back on this side of the pond, one of the first US pioneers in genetically modified foods dates back to 1941. Michael Way internationally recognized for his work on insect pest management. He joined Rothamsted Experimental Station in September 1943, where he studied DDT and other new insecticides. He made two major contributions to the world of entomology. The first contribution was a study on peach-potato aphid and the second pointed out during a debate in the 70’s on ecosystem diversity and stability, that for any pest problem, “how with the introduction of just one element of new diversity would usually be all that was needed to improve control. ( )

The development of genetically engineered foods began in the 1900s, and has been in United State markets since 1995 (Bredahl 18). The most widespread genetically modified foods are oil, maize, cotton, and soybeans (Cunningham 11). Transgenic foods were products created to increase benefit and lower prices (Whitman 2). Genetically modified foods are essential to enrichments of crops (Tan 3). It helps reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides in plants, enhances taste and quality, lower maturation time,

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