Imagine living on a farm. It is cold most of the year, but for a few months you are able to grow some corn to feed your family, and occasionally if you are lucky you can sell it in town to make some money. It is hard work for what seems like a little reward. You must often deal with insects eating many of the corn stalks, and your corn doesn’t do well in cold temperatures, so you must harvest it before the cold weather starts again. You have to plow much of your field to plant this corn, and it takes much effort to look after it. Then a man gives you some seeds. He calls it genetically modified corn. You plant it and the next year and the year after that there is no need to worry about pest, because the pesticides you used no longer harm your plants. Your growing season is longer and you have much more corn on the same area of land and you can now sell your corn in the market regularly. It seems like a good thing to have a GMO on your land.
A GMO or genetically modified organism refers to plant life that has been genetically enhanced to benefit the crop yield in some way. Wikipedia defines a GMO as, “is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Genetic modification involves the insertion or deletion of genes. When genes are inserted, they usually come from a different species”. Some plants are modified to resist pesticides. This way a plant can be protected from insects and other pests without the pesticide killing the plant. Because there are no longer pests eating the crop, more produce can be sent to market. According to the GMO compass, produce like corn has been genetically modified to be able to grow in colder areas. This allows more people to have access to food. This dif...
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...netically modified produce has the capability to feed the world. Because the GMOs would help the future population of the world to survive, I think it is essential that we take into account the effects of them before we cause damage to the populations instead.
Works Cited
"Genetically modified organism." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 12 October 2012 . Web. 12 Oct 2012.
Traavik, Dr Terje. "Too early may be too late: Ecological risks associated with the use of naked DNA as a biological tool for research, production and therapy." Third World Network Online. Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, 1999. Web. 10 Oct 2012. .
"Weighing the GMO arguments." The Foodand Agriculture organization of the United Nations. N.p., March 2003. Web. 10 Oct 2012. .
GMO stands for a ‘genetically modified organism’. A GMO is artificially developed by scientists to produce specific results such as sustain life through a drought or produce a greater quantity of fruit per plant (Monsanto Corporation:1999). This practice began centuries ago when plants and animals were selectively bred and microorganisms were us...
Lee. These modified crops and plants for humans and animals are created mainly to withstand herbicides or to produce insecticides. “No GMO traits are on the market for higher yields, drought resistance, enhanced nutrition or any other consumer benefit” (Burnham). Overall, GE Foods’ main purpose is to save money for large corporations. One of the most prominent crops in the GMO industry is Bt corn.
Smith, Jeffrey M. "GMO Researchers Attacked, Evidence Denied, and a Population at Risk." SOTT.net. Sott.net, 01 Nov. 2011. Web. 08 May 2014. .
To begin with, there is too much Gmo in our food. We should make less foods with GMO and grow more foods on farms. Also a lot of people prefer non GMO foods over GMO foods. If we also make more of our food on farms we can get more people to get jobs. “ GM critics also worry that transgenic crops could harm wildlife and cause lasting damage to fragile food chains. GM crops harm wildlife. Since some birds and small mammals feed on these crops they will soon disappear. They will disappear because they are making the crops
What are GMOS exactly? According to the Non-GMO Project they are, ”“genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.” (Non-Gmo) It is important to know this because they have a direct effect on the lives of every American. They are in most of the foods you eat, and you don’t even know it. There have been groups who have pushed the issue of putting GMO labels on the products that we buy, but somehow that situation has been avoided. The negative effects of GMOs can be seen in results of studies done on animals and humans. The studies on animals show organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. In humans they saw that the GMOs stayed in their systems for very long periods of time which made new bacteria’s grow and the toxic insectides that GMOs like corn produce were not able to exit the body quickly.
A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses, or other plants and animals. Most of the combinations which are used could not possibly occur in nature on its own. The intention of the process is to create a new beneficial trait such as creating its own pesticide or make it immune to herbicides. This would allow the crop such as Bt co...
The growing controversy over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have left many Americans and people all around the world with various questions and concerns as to what they are really putting into their bodies. The issue at hand is one that, although is very dominant in the world today, many are still uneducated on the problem and have not been informed with the facts. GMOs have been placed in the world without much question or second thought and it is time that America hear what should have been told many years ago. Although over ninety percent of the food eaten everyday has been genetically modified in the United States, many today believe the food they eat everyday is perfectly healthy, safe, and beneficiary for them. On the contrary, however, others will argue that the food has become poisoned, unsanitary, and detrimental to the health of themselves and others due to the ongoing issue of genetically engineered foods. As food production grows, and more suspicions rise to the surface, many people are left with the begging question, “Are GMOs really bad for us?” Everyone one is entitled to his or her own opinion and there are many out there who would like to believe one side or another. Regardless of who believes what, after the research is conducted, in hopes of accumulating a better understanding of the issue, it will be known what genetically modified organisms really are, where genetically mutated crops originate from and whether genetically modifying crops are harming or benefiting the world.
In a feeble attempt to cure world hunger scientists developed GMOs, or 'genetically-modified organisms', which are genetically enhanced crop plants created for human consumption, and although GMOs were initially designed to benefit the world, it appears as though they are doing as much harm as they are good. Originally, GMOs were designed to c...
Genetically Modified crops, or GM crops, refer to plants used in agriculture whose DNA has been purposely altered in order to create a better, more efficient outcome. There are many different GM crops being used today, most commonly plants with built in pesticide or chemical resistance, such as BT corn and roundup ready soy. Though you may not know it, most of what you eat has some form of a genetically modified organism in it. The Food and drug administration, also known as the FDA, has stated that companies in the US are not required to inform the consumer on whether or not a food contains any form of a GMO, or a Genetically Modified Organism. This means that you would not necessarily be informed on whether or not the foods you are buying and eating are GM foods. Of course GM foods have to meet the same requirements as any conventional food would, but just because there is no immediate harm to humans, does not mean that there are no consequences at all. This also could suggest that since it is difficult to predict and prove long term effects of using GM crops, companies are just selling these abnormal crops to farmers and assuming that only good things will result. GM Crops may be created with the intention of helping, but there are many ramifications that are continuing to be ignored. These would include negative effects to human life, unintended harm to animals and the environment, and the fact that we are already losing control of the modified plants that we have created.
The term GM foods or GMO (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (Whitman, 2000). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to offer desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Also, genetic engineering techniques have been applied to create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and accurately. For example, this is done by the geneticist isolating the gene responsible for drought tolerance and inserting it into another plant. The new genetically modified plant will now have gained drought tolerance as well.
...M crops will escalate the cost of farming, causing many small farmers to potentially loose their businesses. As GMOs continue to affect human life and the environment, it should be mandatory for products to be labeled if they are genetically modified, thus giving consumers the right to make their own decision. With the list of health risks and environmental issues rising, the use of GMOs should be banned as a method to increase food supply and continue a natural approach to eliminate all risks.
...ence of GM crops is that genetic modifications can develop proteins in plants which a consumer could be allergic to. For example, one of the most common allergies is with the peanut. What would happen if peanut proteins interlace into tomato seeds? Then people with peanut allergies would not be able to eat genetically modified tomatoes. There are many reasons to stop the production of GM food. It can produce serious long-term nature accidents, but there is no way to know much about it until is too late (“GM Food” 2).
Using animals as testing models for scientific research has become one of the most serious issues in the world. According to Procon.org, almost 26 million animals are used for scientific testing every year in the United States, and more than 10,000 animals died in those testing experiments. Many scientists believe that animal testing is necessary because it can help humans develop more scientific research. However, the truth is that many animal testing experiments usually fail when they are used in humans. Therefore, animal testing should be banned because human’s DNA is not similar to animals, there are better ways, and animals have rights.
Genetically modified food’s, or GMOs, goal is to feed the world's malnourished and undernourished population. Exploring the positive side to GMOs paints a wondrous picture for our planet’s future, although careful steps must be taken to ensure that destruction of our ecosystems do not occur. When GMOs were first introduced into the consumer market they claimed that they would help eliminate the world’s food crisis by providing plants that produced more and were resistant to elemental impacts like droughts and bacterial contaminants, however, production isn’t the only cause for the world’s food crisis. Which is a cause for concern because the population on the earth is growing and our land and ways of agriculture will not be enough to feed everyone sufficiently. No simple solutions can be found or applied when there are so many lives involved. Those who are hungry and those who are over fed, alike, have to consider the consequences of Genetically Modified Organisms. Food should not be treated like a commodity it is a human necessity on the most basic of levels. When egos, hidden agendas, and personal gains are folded into people's food sources no one wins. As in many things of life, there is no true right way or wrong way to handle either of the arguments and so many factors are involved that a ‘simple’ solution is simply not an option.
GM crops also benefit the economy and assist in feeding more people. While we struggle with feeding our population, “The population will continue to grow” (Calandrelli 1) For instance, genetic engineering in agriculture can minimize the cost of producing food. Thus, GMO’s in crops can result ...