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Effects of genetically modified food on human health
Effects of genetically modified food on human health
Effects of genetically modified food on human health
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In the articles “Springing Forward” by Barbara Kingsolver and “Are Engineered Foods Evil?” by David H. Freedman, the main topic of discussion is about genetically modified foods. When reading the two articles there is are some similarities and differences between them. The two authors have different views on genetically modified foods. In “Springing Forward”, Barbara Kingsolver says, "whiz-kid hybrid seeds have slowly colonized and then dominated our catalogs and our croplands" (46). Her main point within the article states that today there are few heirloom vegetables because of the increase in genetically modified vegetables. Heirloom seeds are defined as seeds that are saved from the previous generation so that new crops can be grown and Kingsolver states that, "GM is a newer process …show more content…
Throughout the article she implies that heirloom seeds are better than genetically modified seeds because for three reasons. The first reason is that they tell a story about the previous generations as it may have been a seed passed down from one owner to another or it may have had significance in someone’s life. The second reason would be due to the taste of the heirloom vegetables compared to genetically modified vegetables taste. Kingsolver says that heirloom vegetables have a better flavor than the genetically modified vegetables. When someone eats a heirloom vegetable they are able to taste the sweetness or sourness of it as the genetically modified vegetable a person will either cannot taste anything from it or it has little taste. Another reason Kingsolver favors heirloom is because throughout her life she had grown seeds that did not contain any genetic modification. She talks about the garden that she had in her life which had many different varieties of vegetables. When she wanted to plant her vegetables, she had planted them as seeds not as a slightly grown plant that you could get from the store or the nursery. The
In her article, “‘This Is the End of the World’:The Black Death,” which was on the New York Times best-seller list in 1978, writer and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman reports about the devastating impact of the Black Death in Europe from 1347 to 1350. [Summary] Tuchman starts her article describing the arrival of the deadly plague in October 1347 brought by Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina and its effects it has on Europe’s population (257-263). [Paraphrase] Tuchman describes about the terrible epidemic that is speculated to have emerged from China and how it is continuously spreading throughout Europe killing countless number of people (258). Tuchman names out a long list of European cities and how
Anne Lamott has an amazing ability to connect with the audience. With use of personal experience and scenarios to be able to connect with the reader using rhetorical techniques such as ethos and pathos. Although her use of vulgar terms may tend to turn off readers, giving her points less impact.
Wheat grown by traditional farming methods assuages the fundamental conditions for natural selection and is thus able to withstand environmental shifts in the future. However, wheat that is genetically uniform doesn’t satisfy the required circumstances for natural selection to occur. Therefore, it cannot survive prospective advancements. It is innate that a genetically diverse crop will be better able to subsist than a genetically engineered uniform crop. Kingsolver’s argument influences beyond intuition to exemplify why genetic diversity is preferable when compared to genetic uniformity with recognition to food
In the article “Wonder Woman” Gloria Steinem expresses that the making of female super-heroes empowers females by reducing the fixed theme of a Caucasian male saving an inferior female. She displays this by showing how inferior women were before in male super-hero comic books, compares what it was like personally reading female super-hero comics to male super-hero comics as a child, the fight with other women to have the original Wonder Woman published in Ms. Magazine and how even males were changed by the making of Wonder Woman.
Barbara Ehrenreich, in The Hearts Of Men, illustrates how gender roles have highly constricted men, not just women, and therefore have inhibited American society from developing its full potential. She deviates from conventional wisdom, which says that gender roles have been largely detrimental to only half the population, which is simultaneously confined to working in the domestic sphere and prevented from participating in the public realm. Her theory says that Americans subscribe to a "sexuo-economic system" which reduces men to "mere earning mechanisms" and forces women to "become parasitic wives" (6, 4). As she explains, members of both sexes adhere to a system which forces them to succumb to specific gender roles, which in turn prevent them from becoming their true selves. Thus, every American has a vested interest in restructuring the ways men and women interact.
In an argument, the lawyer representing Monsanto Company stated that the amount of arable land around the world is quickly dwindling. This means that it is time to take extra drastic measures to improve food safety throughout the world. Genetically modified seeds and related chemicals offer the best solution for such food safety concerns and thus the company was right to make such investments. This idea comes from recent realization of a robust population boom throughout the world, an inability for traditional agricultural practices and seeds to withstand changing climatic systems. Modification of the seed’s genetic material to withstand climatic and other environmental threats seems to be a viable solution to the challenge.
The first claim, made by the bioengineering companies creating the GMOs, is that the products are "resistan[t] to insects or viruses, toleran[t] [of] certain herbicides and [have] nutritionally enhanced quality" (Maghari 2). With resistance against pests and tolerance to harsher pesticides, bioengineers claim to be creating a super food that requires less maintenance and costs less. In fact, for many developing countries, this seems a promising start to the end of w...
A debate is ragging over the advancements being made in genetic engineering. Scientist discovered that genes are the map of every aspect of a living organism, this has furthermore led to the prospect of altering this coding. By modifying one’s genes parents will one day be able to pick the color of their unborn child’s eyes and farmers will have the ability to develop plants that will produce bigger and healthier harvest. With the growing anticipation that some feel towards genetically modified crops others question it effects on the surrounding environments. Often pesticides are more heavily relied on for genetically modified crops and some cases have found pollination decreased in areas dominated by GM plants. Since there are so many aspects of genetic modification that have yet to be explored, much more research is required before distributing GM seeds internationally, but from the information already available the sides have begun to divide.
The article that I chose is called Another Case Against GMO Foods by Timothy J. LaSalle. It was published on 2/25/14 and it is from the website http://www.foodmatters.tv/. In this article, LaSalle explains the reasons why GMO foods have been insufficient in benefiting farmers and the general public. GMO stands for “genetically modified organisms”. America started using GMOs in the early 1990s. He tells us that GMO seeds were created to make the cost of growing crops less to farmers which could lead to more crops and lower prices. It does this by making crops resistant to pathogens. It also adds herbicides which make the plants weed resistant. That way farmers don’t have to buy fertilizers. He also talks about the effects of GMOs on people’s health. There is no proven long-term effects of GMO foods. There is only speculation. GMOs are being used more and more by farmers. He believes that it is a possible cause of allergies, asthma, autism, and ADD in children and adults. He states that health concerns have increased since we started using GMOs in our food. In the last part of the article he talks about finding a way to make safer foods which would be using all organic foods. Countries in Europe, Asia and Africa have banned GMO foods. He thinks we should do the same. He also thinks we should not be able to use GMO foods until the FDA has proven they don’t cause long-term health risks.
While reading “The Ordinary Life” by Barbara Crooker, one is able to understand the dramatic irony of the poem and the irony of her ordinary day being rather interesting. In the first line, Crooker states that nothing happened that day, however she later goes on to contradict herself. When reading the poem, one can see her describe a day full of activities, such as: cleaning the cupboards, taking care of her baby, making dinner for her family, and a few other pastimes. Additionally, Crooker uses strong descriptive language to illustrate what the mother sees as an unremarkable day. For instance, “[...] sat in a circle of sunlight,” (line 9) and “[...] a long slow kiss, tasting of coffee and cream,” (lines 26-27) show the depth of her awareness
In the poem, "Ordinary Life," by Barbara Crooker, the speaker uses irony to signify how her life is anything but but ordinary. To the speaker, "this [is] a day when nothing [happens]," however, the readers can clealy see how busy the speaker's day is throughout the poem (1). The speaker's first duty of the day is to get her children ready to go to school. Then she spends her entire morning building "block stacks in the squares of light on the floor" (5-6). When "lunch [blends] into naptime" for the baby, the speaker "[cleans] out kitchen cupboards" (7-8). This indicates that the speaker is a hard working mother and does not relax until she finishes all her chores. Furthermore, in the afternoon, she "[peels] carrots and potatoes" for dinner
Genetically engineered goods are a huge controversy in the United States. There has been a lot of conflict between different groups about whether or not genetically engineered foods should be so widely sold or at least not labeled. There are many people on both sides of the argument that have given great insight as to what genetically engineered foods can do for/to people. Those that are in favor of genetically modified food say that it allows for farmers to have a less risky harvest and this can then lead to producing more food for a higher population.
How many of you hear the words “genetically modified food” and immediately think “BAD”? How many of you scorn the idea that genetically modified foods are useful? How many of you have been manipulated by the media to think that all biotechnology is evil? Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms that have been genetically spliced to achieve a certain trait. As the demand for a larger food supply is increasing due to population growth, the benefits that GMO foods provide are being hailed as the only solution to the food crisis. However, many people are making inadequately informed decisions, and are pushing them to the back shelf. I will inform you on why genetically modified organisms may be the only way to a stable, safe future for the less fortunate.
The most wonderful activity a human being can experience is new flavors and foods. For example, the first time a person tastes a delicious juicy piece of prime rib or a delightful hamburger with cheese and ham, his world is never the same. However, since the beginning of the twentieth century, the production of food has been supplemented by science. This has triggered an angry dispute between the people who support the advances of biotechnology and people who love nature. In order to understand the controversy, we have to know the meaning of genetically modified foods. With new technological advances, scientists can modify seeds from a conventional seed to a high tech seed with shorter maturation times and resistance to dryness, cold and heat. This is possible with the implementation of new genes into the DNA of the conventional seed. Once these "transgenes" are transferred, they can create plants with better characteristics (Harris 164-165). The farmers love it not only because it guarantees a good production, but the cost is also reduced. On the other hand, organizations such as Greenpeace and Friends of Earth have campaigned against GMO (“Riesgos”) because they think that they are negatively affecting the earth (Gerdes 26). Both the advocates and the opponents of genetically modified foods have excellent arguments.
Compare the benefits of growing GM seeds for crops with the potential negative consequences of using them.