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Improving the nutritional value of food has long been one of the goals in agricultural genetics. Crossing different strains of plants and animals followed by generations of artificial selection have yielded some successes, including the development of high-protein maize. The use of gene transfer
Scientists are now turning their attention to using gene transfer technology to nutritionally enhance animal foods. Recently, biotechnology was used to produce a sheep with increased amounts of an omega-3 essential fatty acid that plays an important role in the development of the nervous system and, in adults, reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. Once a small number of transgenic animals have been produced, they can be bred by conventional methods to establish a source of nutritionally enhanced meat and milk.
The use of biotechnology is presenting consumers with many new choices, which will become more common in the future. Increasingly, we will all have to educate ourselves about the pros and cons of such decisions.
On the other hand, how would you explain your preference for meat from animals without higher levels of beneficial fatty acids?
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HUMAN HEREDITY (LL)-W/MINDTAP ACCESS
- Improving the nutritional value of food has long been one of the goals in agricultural genetics. Crossing different strains of plants and animals followed by generations of artificial selection have yielded some successes, including the development of high-protein maize. The use of gene transfer biotechnology has led to other advances, including the creation of nutritionally enhanced rice to combat vitamin A deficiency and blindness. Researchers are now turning their attention to the nutritional enhancement of animals that are used as food. Scientists are now turning their attention to using gene transfer technology to nutritionally enhance animal foods. Recently, biotechnology was used to produce a sheep with increased amounts of an omega-3 essential fatty acid that plays an important role in the development of the nervous system and, in adults, reduces the risk of coronary artery disease. Once a small number of transgenic animals have been produced, they can be bred by conventional methods to establish a source of nutritionally enhanced meat and milk. The use of biotechnology is presenting consumers with many new choices, which will become more common in the future. Increasingly, we will all have to educate ourselves about the pros and cons of such decisions. How would you explain your decision to eat nutritionally enhanced meat from animals modified by biotechnology?arrow_forwardAquAdvantage salmon is a genetically modified (GM) Atlantic salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the company's application to allow the entry of this GM salmon into the United States food supply late last year. The FDA announced that: "AquAdvantage salmon is as safe to eat as any non- genetically engineered (GE) Atlantic salmon, and also as nutritious." However, opponents of genetically modified food are claiming that the AquAdvantage salmons could pose a serious environmental risk to the marine ecosystem if the engineered fishes escape from the farms. These transgenic salmons would be a big threat to the wild salmons. Justify this statement.arrow_forwardGenetic engineering applied for generating food sources is said to be different from traditional breeding. Which of the following is different in the case of genetic engineering? It always involves the mixing of different genes from similar species. It mixes genes of different organisms such as viruses and crops, spiders, and goats. It selects from the combination of genes that recombine on their own It involves the gene of the whole organism.arrow_forward
- Genetically modifying seeds to produce herbicide-resistant plants that increase crop yields has revolutionized modern agriculture. However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have come under fire in recent years, with consumer groups calling for mandatory GMO labeling on all food packages that contain GMO ingredients. GMO labeling laws have been in force in the European Union and other countries for several years, but the threat to the U.S. food industry is only now surfacing. Although bills requiring GMO labeling have been introduced in many state legislatures, Vermont is the only state where such a law has so far withstood the first round of legal battles from the industry. Leading chemical companies, including Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont, are the world’s largest suppliers of seeds that grow the food that feeds the world. To counter the GMO labeling threat, they now are turning to mutagenesis as an alternative technique to create herbicide-resistant crops. Mutagenesis mimics the…arrow_forwardA survey was conducted in 500 Filipinos belonging to the very low to low income generating families with at most a high school diploma. The study found out that 95% of the participants believed that consuming GMOs lead to unwanted mutations. Among the most common fear listed was the development of unwanted phenotypes for their children and grandchildren because of eating GM crops. Based on your accumulated knowledge in genetics and on how GMOs are produced, explain why the claim is impossible to happen. Use one specific example of GMO to justify your answers.arrow_forwardBriefly discuss the following concerns of Biotechnology;(i) Monoclonal antibodies technology versus gene technology for cancer treatment.(ii) Traditional plant breeding versus Gene technology: Which is the more efficient way for pesticide resistant crop production?(iii) Chemical technology versus Enzyme technology in industrial application.(iv) Are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) a threat to the environment?arrow_forward
- Genetic engineering of plants provides an opportunity to alter their properties or performance in order to improve upon their utility. Such technology may be used to modify the expression of genes already present in the plants, or to introduce new genes of other species with which the plant cannot be bred conventionally. In fact, humans have engaged in genetic manipulation for millennia, producing plant and animal varieties through selective breeding and hybridization that significantly modify genomes of organisms. How has this technology created novel genetic information by specific alteration of cloned genes? (provide an example). Why do you think modern genetic engineering, has met with so much opposition? Should some forms of genetic engineering be of greater concern than others? Explain. In your response provide a specific example from literature to describe the implications of this technology (good or bad).arrow_forward(11) Genetic engineering utilized to create food sources has been said to be both like and unlike traditional breeding. One way it is different is: (a) It mixes genes from different individuals of the same or similar species (b) It involves whole organisms living in the field (c) It selects from combinations of genes that come together on their own (d) It mixes genes of different organisms such as viruses and crops, or spiders and goatsarrow_forwardMuch of the controversy over genetically engineered foods has centered on whether special labeling should be required on all products made from genetically modified crops. Some people have advocated labeling that identifies the product as having been made from genetically modified plants. Others have argued that food labeling should be required to identify only the ingredients, not the process by which they were produced. Choose a side in this issue and justify your stand.arrow_forward
- What modern-day problem can be solved by Genetic Engineering? Explain the unique characteristics will be exhibited by the GMO that will solve the problem. Briefly describe each.arrow_forwardThink of a modern-day problem that can be solved by Genetic Engineering. Say you are the genetic engineer tasked to create a GMO to solve this problem, what unique characteristics (at least 3) will it exhibit? Describe each.arrow_forwardGenetic engineering has been used in many different ways, such as human growth hormone for the treatment of pituitary dwarfism (recombinant DNA) plants engineered to be resistant to herbicides and pests an “antifreeze” gene inserted into some Atlantic salmon and halibut pick one of the examples of genetic engineering listed above to expand on. Provide a description of the technology in terms of how it works and what steps are takenarrow_forward
- Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Co...BiologyISBN:9781305251052Author:Michael CummingsPublisher:Cengage Learning