Give a brief background on GMOs. What are they? What role do they play in our food production?

      Genetically modifying organisms (GMO) is not a new technology; it has been around for thousands of years. The first genetically modifying happened 32,000 years ago with a wild wolfs that were domesticated and later selective breeding to give humans a variation of dogs with particular traits, looks, size, color, and strengths (Rangel, 2015). Today there are over 360 recognized dog breeds around the world, but GMOs through science did not take off until 1973. Scientists discovered they could cut out a gene from one object and paste it to another. GMO allowed the scientist to move an antibiotic resistance from one strain of bacteria into another, thus enabling antibiotic resistance to another object. After this discovery, a considerable amount of opposition occurred from the government, media, and other scientists on the ramifications it would have on human health and the Ecosystem (Rangel, 2015). In 1992 the first genetically engineered food was approved for consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the FLAVR SAVR Tomato. Today GMO crops are farmed by over 17 million farms around the world. GMO crops have increased yields and lowered production prices by selective breading, advanced breeding, and gene modification breeding, which allows a gene to be removed from a crop or added to a different crop.  GMO’s has enabled crops to be drought resistance, stronger stalks, and roots, and prevent crop disease. GMOs have increased the world’s food production; in the U.S. alone, we plant 39% of GMO crops (Biotechnology Information, n.d.). What are the Benefits/Drawbacks? 

Do you think genetic modification experimentation is “unnatural” or interferes with the “balance of nature”?

    Humans have been shifting the balance of nature for thousands of years. Disturbing nature by tearing down trees, moving water flows, removing animals from their natural environment, and polluting the air. But in case I believe it’s for the greater good. We as humans have multiped by the millions, and the natural framing will not provide enough food for the human race. Creating drought-resistant crops can save many 2nd and 3rd world countries from famine and conflicts that come with famines. 

Some genetically modified (GM) traits can also be produced by conventional crop breeding. In such a case, is the GM crop bad and the conventional one good?

      I think genetically modifying (GM) a crop should only take place if you are unable to get the same results as conventional breeding. GM is generally only used when a gene does not exist in a species and wants to cross it with another crop. It also is used to speed up a crop deployment phase; conventional crop breeding takes multiple generations as GM could change the development of a crop in a couple of years (Royal Society, 2016). 

Why do you think the use of GMOs is still such a divisive topic?

     The public wanting a definite answer on is this have long term effect on human health as well as people disagreeing with alerting nature have caused division in the party’s that are for it and against it. On the other side, people are seeing the benefits and the future of being able to stop world hunger. These two sides could not be further from each other.

Reference

Council for Biotechnology Information (n.d.) GMOs Globally Retrieved from

https://gmoanswers.com/gmos-globally (Links to an external site.)

Rangel, Gabriel (August 9, 2015) From Corgis to Corn: A Brief Look at the Long History of GMO Technology Retrieved from

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/from-corgis-to-corn-a-brief-look-at-the-long-history-of-gmo-technology/ (Links to an external site.)

The Royal Society (May 2016) How does GM differ from conventional plant breeding? Retrieved from

https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/gm-plants/how-does-gm-differ-from-conventional-plant-breeding/