Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In today’s scientific topic trends, GMO production and consumption is one of the most controversial topics. The acronym GMO refers to “genetically modified organism.” Loosely put, it refers to when a gene from a species with specific traits is injected into an unrelated living organism leaving it genetically modified. (1) I shall introduce the supposed negative aspects of GMOs and clarify the issues stated against it. The basis of my research originates from a review article provided by Alessandro Nicolia and other Italian researchers who have complied “An overview of the last 10 years of genetically engineered crop safety research.” Specifically, the classification of 1783 scientific records on GR crop safety. The most popular claim against crop biotechnology by its opponents are that GMO’s lack in depth scientific studies. For example; David Schubert of Salk Institute of Biological Studies states that “There is no credible evidence that GMO foods are safe to eat” and an organic researcher of Washington State University named Charles Benbrook informs that “The science just hasn...
"The Good, Bad and Ugly about GMOs." Natural Revolution. Natural Revolution , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. .
Genetically modified? That alone should be a cause for alarm, and have you wondering, what exactly is in this that I am eating? Yet every day millions of American’s choose to load up on food filled with GMO’s, and not even know it. First we must understand what GMO’s are. GMO’s are any organism whose genetics has been altered using genetic engineering. We should not be tampering with nature, and should try to grow organically as much as possible. There has not been enough research on GMO’s to know the potential long term effects it can have on us, so this is why GMO’s should be banned.
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
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.
Genetically modified food is a significant issue that America is currently dealing with; it has affected millions around the world. Genetically modified food is crops, plants, and animals whose DNA has been altered for agricultural and nutritional reasons. In the Alltime Conspiracies video, “How Dangerous Are GMO Food” he argues that GMOs can have budding effect on humans, and the more we consume the more damage that is being done to our DNA cells. The author Alltime Conspiracy begins building his credibility with personal facts plus highly regarded sources, citing credible facts and statistics,
Supporters of Genetically modified crops, which consists of biotechnology companies and agricultural researchers, contend that the usage...
This chapter focused on GMOs and the “Green Revolution”. After World War II, hybrid crops developed in order to produce higher yields, and this temporarily helped fight hunger in some parts of the world. However, this did not last forever and eventually hunger returned, so companies moved towards GMOs. At first, many farmers rejected it because it had so many downsides. For example, the conditions were almost never right for the crops, they required irrigation which lead to water competition, they required monocropping which destroyed biodiversity, and they required expensive fertilizers which pushed poorer farmers off their land. The seeds had another downside. Chemical companies engineered the seeds in a way that they would not be able to be replanted. I remember talking about this in the beginning of the year with Pollan’s book about how companies who sold seeds had to make a profit somehow, so they made it to where farmers had to keep buying seeds. With this, I understand that companies have to make money, but it also makes it difficult for the farmer having to keep purchasing seeds. Another thing that came up in this chapter was university research. Biotech companies give large contributions to university research in order to basically bribe them to make their results industry friendly. The Food and Drug Administration states that they believe corporations have done all the necessary testing to make sure it is safe. Therefore, research on GMOs is being done by companies trying to sell them or universities who want research grants. In my opinion, I do not believe this is the proper way to making sure GMOs are safe, but I guess it is how companies make
Smith, Jeffrey M. "GMO Researchers Attacked, Evidence Denied, and a Population at Risk." SOTT.net. Sott.net, 01 Nov. 2011. Web. 08 May 2014. .
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.
Being published on a scientific news website Ehrenberg’s credentials are not ideal to be used as credible evidence in a research paper. Ehrenberg is only a journalist, exampling in a less scientific way to an unaware or uneducated audience, the views of GMOs in the scientific community. Ehrenberg has pieced together importation from multiple scholarly articles to share with her audience different views and opinion that often contradict each other in the topic of
Considering an argument as valid requires critical analysis of several aspects and providing strong evidence. Robin Mather, a journalist who “has passion for food and its sources, has worked at major metropolitan newspapers (the Detroit News, the Chicago Tribune)”(86), argues that GMOs have risks and hazards to human health and threats to wildlife and environment in her article “The Threats from Genetically Modified Foods”, whereas Entine, a colleague at the Genetic Literacy Project, and Wendel, a science writer(82), claim that GMOs are safe to eat and no harm to people or animals in their article “2000+Reasons Why GMOs are Safe to Eat and Environmentally Sustainable” Both articles’ authors state their ideas clearly for whether GMOs could be eaten or not. However, Mather provides more solid
This has created a large amount of debate on local, national, and international levels about the safety of genetically modified foods to human health. There are many angles that have been taken from different groups on this issue. Some believe it is harmful to our health, with one source stating that, “mice eating GMO corn had fewer and smaller babies (Jagelio 2013).” Without testing on humans how are we to know these harmful effects aren’t impacting our health and reproduction. Other groups see GMOs as being both beneficial and having no impact on human health.
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.
This report explains genetically modified food (GMOs) and discusses the benefits and risks associated with the consumptions of GMOs. Genetically modified foods (GMOs) are foods that have been genetically altered using engineering techniques. The most common technique used today is called recombinant DNA technology; this technology combines different molecules from different plant species to create a plant with a new set of genes, a hybrid plant. Another recombinant DNA technology being used is recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) an artificial growth hormone; this hormone is being fed or injected into cows to improve milk production. (ThefreeDictionary)
Val Giddings, L. “Genetically Engineered Crops Are Not Dangerous.” Genetic Engineering. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Farmington Hills MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004. 135-141. Print.