“Right” and “wrong” are such ambiguous terms and can only be personally defined by an individual’s beliefs and values. It is said that our values are defined predominately by our upbringing, but what if it is more neurologically ingrained than we had perceived? Doctor Roger Wolcott Sperry, neurophysiologist, won The Nobel Prize in 1981 for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres, in which he studied the cognitive effects caused by severing the longitudinal fissure that divides the two hemispheres of the brain. In the region of the longitudinal fissure, neural tissue, known as the corpus callosum, connects the two hemispheres of the brain and enables communication between the hemispheres. His studies prompted the theory that people, while needing both hemispheres connected to fully function properly, could be categorized as “right- brain” or “left-brain” dominate, in reference to their respective hemispheres. Moreover, his discoveries suggested that certain functions and abilities are controlled predominately by one side of the brain or the other. The right hemisphere is said to be creative, thoughtful, intuitive, and more spiritually driven; whereas, the left hemisphere is said to objective, analytical, and driven by tangible facts and science. Neither way of thinking is wrong, simply different. In Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood, the protagonist continually poses the question of whether science has gone too far. With the uncanny similarities and parallels between Jimmy’s world and our present world, the question was not only directed towards the characters, but towards the reader as well. What is the line, how much is too much? Depending on one’s core values, an individual can dec... ... middle of paper ... ...able. At the same time, be mindful of your impact and do not let your yearn for knowledge compel you to overlook its affects on humanity and nature. It is not wrong to have either mindset, but we need both in order to maintain a balance. Works Cited "10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs." - 10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs. Institute for Responsible Technology, n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 1st Anchor Books ed. 1. New York: Random House, Inc, Anchor Books, 2004. 389. Print. Edwards, Terrell, Jon Faerber, Andre Goenawan, and Shogo Osawa. "Genetically Modified Foods: Benefits of GM Food." . University of California, Santa Cruz, 6 June 2005. Web. 18 May 2014. . Jha, Alok. "GM hens' medicinal eggs aid cancer fight." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Jan. 2007. Web. 20 May 2014.
"Institute for Responsible Technology." - 10 Reasons to Avoid GMO's. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
Smith, Jeremy. “Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.” 31 October 2003. Kak Web. Web. 6 January 2012. http://www.ekac.org/smith_atwood.html
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Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. 1st ed. New York, New York/United States: First Anchor Books, 2004. 374. Print.
The controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) lies in the lack of acceptable research on the topic. While numerous studies and experiment have been conducted, unbiased results have yet to be published. On one hand, bioengineers claim their GMOs and GMO products are not harmful and may even be beneficial, while on the other hand, scientists and agriculturists claim they are terrified about the uncertainty surrounding these unnatural products. This paper will explain what GMOs are, then analyze positive and negative claims and determine if they have any validity.
Whitman, Deborah. "Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?". Cambridge Scientific Abstracts. Available online at http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html. Accessed November 9, 2003.
Okigbo, R., Iwube, J., & Putheti, R. (2011). An extensive review on genetically modified (GM) foods
This paper discusses genetically modified (GM) foods, the interesting history, and their development. It shows how GM foods have experienced rapid growth over the last ten years. Within the history of these foods, there has been a great deal of controversy and debate of the benefits and risks of GM foods and the production process. Analyzing the current situation around GM foods, this controversy will likely continue for many years to come.
Thesis: Genetically modified organisms have the potential to benefit the field of agriculture as they are continuing to make advancements that should not be hindered. GMO foods should be supported because they are safer, since they utilize fewer herbicides and pesticides, produce larger yields that can reduce world poverty, and can help fight vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition.
The use of genetically engineering in agriculture and food production has an impact, not only on the environment and biodiversity, but also on human health. Therefore, thorough biosafety assessment requires, not only an evaluation of environmental impacts of genetically engineered organisms, but also an assessment of the risks that genetically engineered food pose for the health of consumers. Let us take deeper look at some of the aspects related to genetically engineered foods.
“Genetically modified foods are a "Pandora's box" of known and unknown risks to humans and the environment. They have been forced onto the American public by multinational biotech and agribusiness corporations without adequate oversight and regulation by the United States government (Driscoll, SallyMorley, David C).”Genetically Modified Food is food which has been chemically altered by scientists during the production process to give the food more nutrients, better appearance, and a longer shelf-life (Rich, Alex K.Warhol, Tom). The importance of this issue is that these GMO’s can actually have a negative effect in our society in general. It could mutate in a negative way and cause cancer or other diseases. Genetically modified food should be strictly controlled due to its various detrimental effects on the environment, human health, and potentially insect/animal effects.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a cause of continuous debate. What would be the purpose of producing genetically altered food? Many argue that GMOs could prove to be very beneficial, the use of GMOs could lead to advances in medicine, and agriculture, and they could also prevent famine in poor underdeveloped countries. Genetic modification offers many benefits: pest control, disease resistant crops, drought resistant crops, no use of insecticides, nutritional beneficial foods, and less contamination. This is only a short list of the many benefits offered by the used of GMOs. With so many benefits why are we opposed to such a miracle? (NERC 2005)
In conclusion, the application of genetically modified food has a lot of pros and cons. There is so much disagreement about the benefits and risks of GM because there are so many different views surrounding it. This issue is very important today because it will change our future. How would the world be when every single living creature will be in some aspect genetically modified? Would we be more resistant to illness? Or would we be weaker and more vulnerable to diseases? Would this be the beginning of the mutant era? Regardless of the answers to these questions, we will need to consider the implications of genetically modified foods.
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO/s) have evolved enormously during the last decade. With the evolution of GMOs, comes the natural argument for and against them. Most of the arguments that are taking place are directed towards the health of human beings. It is still unsure what the long-term effects of consuming GMOs will have on humans, but only time will tell (Nodoushani, Sintay, & Stewart, 2015, p. 139). Other arguments that are being made are the effects that GMOs will have on the environment as well as the argument of requiring labeling of all Genetically Modified Foods. In this paper, I will discuss the benefits of Genetically Modified Organisms which include the health benefits, environmental benefits and the benefits of labeling,
Mith, Jeffrey M. Genetically Modified Food Is Not Safe. Genetically Modified Food. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Print.