Genetically Modified Organisms - Transgenics and Biopharming In today's world, the need for more efficient and better quality foods grows greater. The population on earth is thought to increase to nine billion by the year 2050. To support this population, the application of biotechnology is used to modify foods. The reason why foods are genetically modified is to produce better quality food which can also fight off pests, insects, weeds and diseases. Not only can you insert genes to induce these effects, you can also insert genes to produce medicines which is called biopharming. This then allows farmers to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides (agric.wa.gov.au). GMOs can help protect the world's food supply and reduce the cost on farmers …show more content…
A company modified tobacco to produce a protein that acted as an antibiotic which fought off diseases. The gene used was part of the cauliflower mosaic virus (335) and was altered and inserted into the chloroplasts of the tobacco. The pros and cons raised by this were quite strong on either side in this scenario. The cons in this scenario were that who has access to these new pharmaceuticals? Will it only be available to those that can afford it? Another con was that there could be cross contamination of plants and that the gene could spread to other wildlife and make them produce this protein. The consequence of this is that fauna could consume these drugs causing fatality or other health issues. Accidental ingestion of the drug could be an issue as well. If the plants were to be grown in greenhouses to avoid this problem, it would cost more money and may be a waste of time. The pros to this scenario were that it would make drug production a lot easier and cheaper. This is possible as tobacco plants are one of the easiest plants to modify and the leaves grow from the same plant. It is also one of the largest biomass producers in the world. Another benefit was that the tobacco production of this drug would be worth over $2.2 billion within a decade in the United States. The pros and cons to this scenario create quite the predicament. Are we willing to take the …show more content…
What happens if all the new GMOs die out due to a certain disease that only affects them? The idea that GMOs can save the world's food supply is a very old idea and only a small amount of professional companies can afford the cost and risk of undergoing genetically modified foods. Very serious risks are associated with transgenics and biopharming yet as the future draws near we look towards it. I personally believe that we should investigate this technology further in order to provide better quality foods, increase production, reduce costs and support human life on earth. Safety protocols do need to be taken seriously in this however, precautions like growing the GM foods in greenhouses, running safety checks and intensive
There are many benefits to GMO’s with global population rising it is great to have food that can resist weeds, pests and other diseases. Farmers can also benefit from the modified foods. GMO’s can allow farmers to plant more crops on less land, and because many plants have built in weed control farmers use less money and machinery to spray these crops with as much pesticides, which is also safer for humans to consume you don't have to worry about how
Preview your Main Points: GMO’s have put millions of people around the world at serious health risks in order to gain the benefit of economic success. Unknown reactions from genetically modified food seem to be overlooked by many.
GMOs foods have lots of unknown factors coming into play. There are many questions to whether they are safe for us and the crops. GMOs foods have been connected to sterile and dead livestock, and damage to almost every organ studied in lab animals. Labeling might also be costing us more than necessary. Some say we should stop using GMOs altogether, but right now it’s difficult to see what choice has our best interests at heart.
While the agricultural world is working hard to make positive influences on more efficient farming, individuals have treated GMO’s as a negative alteration in their produce. Farmers and researchers in the agricultural world claim no harm can be done by them. GMO’s have not yet been proven to be harmful to humans and have, in fac,t had a positive impact on the food industry today.
Some benefits of genetically modified foods include the potential to create higher crop surpluses. This is significant because of the increasing population of our nation as well as worldwide. This opens doors for better trade and can provide farmers with more efficient structures and time management. GMOs also reduce the need for herbicides and pesticides. They reduce overall need for manual labor of farmers. GMOs are seen as more economical and beneficial to manufacturers. Besides technical assets, the quality of the food can be improved drastically as well. The foods can stay fresher longer and can also endure weather fluctuations along side with having the capability to grow and produce in originally unsuitable conditions. The most beneficial factor examined from genetically modified foods would be that they can specifically and personally be altered
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
Genetically modified crops are an incredibly important issue that everyone should be aware of since it is something we are exposed to at a daily basis. Genetically modified crops also known as GM crops or Biotech crops has been one of the most heated debates of issues within our society. The debate about the safety, concerns and disadvantages of GM crops have raged since the mid 1990 's but this is due to the lack of knowledge of the general public. Many people are unaware of what the GM crops actually are and what they offer. Genetically modified crops are plants that are used in the agriculture and have been modified to initiate a new trait to plants that does not happen naturally in the species. These plants are modified using genetic engineering techniques to enhance desired traits. GM crops are made when genes of commercial interest are transferred from one organism to another.() There are many methods used for the production of GM crops but the two primary used for plant insertion are gene guns and agrobacterium tumefaciens. There are also three types of modifications which are transgenic, cisgenic, and subgenic plants. However, there are a number of issues that surround this controversial topic such as environmental, health, and economic concerns. Even though there are some worrying facts about GM crops people don 't realize the advantages or the ways it has helped humans as well as animals. There are many reasons why GM crops are proven
The stomach lining of animals fed GMO grain showed excessive cell growth, a condition that may lead to cancer and also had damaged organs and immune systems. III. Can the human race live without the production of GMO’S (Genetically Modified Organisms) A. GM foods on the market are causing common diseases and their effects appear only after long-term exposure, we may not be able to identify the source of the problem for decades, if at all.
One of the greatest accomplishments since 1982 is the invention of GMOs. They were first approved by the FDA in 1982 for Humulin, insulin that has genetically engineered E. coli bacteria. The thinking behind GMOs was to develop crops that were resistant to pests and diseases in addition to improve nutritional content. GMOs have helped numerous people around the world. They have made farmer’s crops have better yields and a more successful growing season. GMOs are beneficial and should be promoted because they are more economical and they increase productivity in agriculture; however, the opposition believes GMOs potentially cause health issues.
In recent years genetic modification has been advancing. Genetic modification is when a living organism has been altered to a specific state of characteristics. So far scientist has made one attempt to modify genes from an embryo recently. Whether they were successful or not is question unanswered yet. Gene modification can be great and all. However, is it right to modify genes? Apparently, the population agrees to modify genes since there has been licenses of approval for gene modification. If Society cared about gene modification, then there would be signs of disapproval of gene modification. However, this is viewed morally wrong in my point of view. The pros of modifying genes are that defeating diseases, potential to live longer, genetic diseases, and able to select character traits of babies. The cons of modifying genes are failures on the way to perfecting genetic modification, genetic modification babies can have more greater problems, very expensive, and when does it stop?
With numerous developments plaguing agricultural production, the implementation of Genetically Modified Organisms, commonly referred to as GMOs, is best suited to be used in food manufacturing. It is estimated that by the year 2050, global food production must increase by seventy percent. However with current practices in place and the limited expansion of farmland due to urbanization, such production rates are nearly impossible to achieve. The use of Genetically Modified Organisms seems to be among the only feasible options to rapidly increase food production and thus aid in this crisis which plagues even though most developed countries, such as the United States. Specifically in the United States, the use of Genetically Modified Organism
Eveyone of us and our children are affected by the use of GMO food products and they have a dangerous side effect on our enviroment that in some cases will never be repaired.
GMO Controversy. The beginning of the altering of DNA, which has been encoded in both plants and animals, results in drastic consequences applied to both pro and anti GM foods. Within this article a GMO is referred to as “transgenic crops, where the genes from a nonplant organism (usually bacteria) are deliberately inserted into a plant (using recombinant DNA or gene-splicing) in hopes the new plant will exhibit certain desirable traits” (Norwood, Oltenacu, Lorenzo, & Lancaster, 2015, p. 60). Arguably the traits do not always have the best of outcomes. Genetic mutations which show morbid alterations within the bodies of animals and humans, are less likely to have exposure, limiting the discussion or visual representation, outside of the producer.
In the other hand GM critics worry that transgenic crops could harm wildlife and cause lasting damage to fragile food chains. What will happen if GM farming practices wipe out weedy plants that some bird’s species rely on for survival? Or if insects that are important
GMO foods are not the most healthy or honest foods, but they are the most helpful. Many fruits and vegetables are engineered to be resistant to bugs and diseases that could cause famine. This helps farmers all over the country by giving them a better harvest. Also, non-sanitary soil has become a large problem in some places around the world. The soil made it harder for crops to grow in certain environments. To solve this problem, scientists could take a gene from a plant that can live in these conditions, and plant it into another crop’s genome. This would make the crop that