The Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Organisms

In 1980, the first GMO patent was given to a genetics engineer for an engineered bacteria which consumed the oil from oil spills. Scientists carried out further studies, and in 1944, a tomato with modified DNA to delay rotting, sparked a controversy over the safety of genetically modified organisms. The questions regarding safety of GMOs remains constantly debated today. DNA edited and changed by scientists has the potential to harm or help the environment, and is important to keep legal so further studies can be completed to better the world.

Genetically modified organisms have been used before modern science. Before the concepts of genetics, selective breeding was used. Farmers would take the best of their crops and breed them, resulting

in a higher chance for better crops. This concept continued over a period of hundreds of years, and is why we have watermelons that are large and seedless and bananas that do not have a hard and thick outer shell. Selective breeding is also apparent in animals, from dogs to livestock. In 1973, the first genetically engineered organism was created by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen. Boyer discovered an enzyme that cut strings of DNA into segments and attach them to other strands of DNA. Cohen found a method to introduce plasma to bacteria and clone genes carried by the plasmid. These two discoveries combined, as the DNA segments were placed in plasmids, and were cloned. A year later, a mouse embryo was given foreign DNA by scientist Beatrice Mintz. This technology caused worry in government officials, and