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Human Health And The Environment : Gmos

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Scott Fowler
BIOL 270
Capstone Paper
4/25/16

Human Health and the Environment: GMOs

Introduction: What is the issue?

What is a GMO? If you were to ask your average person on the street, they would probably tell you that they know they’re bad, but don’t know what they are. Many people know it has something to do with “genetics” or “modification,” but what sort of genetics? And how or why are these things being modified? Put simply, GMO is an acronym for Genetically Modified Organism. GMO and genetically engineered organism are frequently used synonymously. According to the Non-GMO Project (2016), genetically modified organisms are “organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic …show more content…

On the other hand, there are several causes for concern when it comes to GMOs. This has led to the formation of groups like the Non-GMO Project, Millions Against Monsanto, GMO Free Project USA, U.S. Right To Know, and Food and Water Watch. These groups and organizations have a variety of goals, but mostly focus on fighting corporate control of American agriculture, advocating for clean and healthy food, seeking transparency and accountability within our nation’s food system, and educating consumers about the perceived dangers of GMOs (GMO-Awareness.com, 2014).
Many consumers are against GMOs because they are not natural, they are created by companies that seek to control the American agriculture system, growing them damages our environment, and many believe there are significant health risks yet to be discovered. Although the issue of using GMOs in American agriculture and food is quite complex and controversial, the science behind creating a genetically modified organism is fairly straight-forward.
What is the science involved?

There are several basic steps to creating a genetically modified organism, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at the history behind GMOs. The predecessor to modern day genetic engineering was artificial selection, or selective breeding. Although the science is much different, the idea of selecting a desirable trait and influencing the DNA of the organism to express that trait

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