by: Deborah B. Whitman
April 2000
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
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| This picture shows a little bit of what adding a gene to a crop is like |
Summary:
GMOs are Genetically Modified Organisms that have a big impact on the population's health. They are crop plants that are used for human consumption, using the latest biology techniques. Genetic engineering can alter a specific gene in the one crop that you essentially would want to "make better". The genes can not only be transferred from plant to plant, but non-plant genes can be used as well. Some great advantages of these GM foods include Pest resistance, Herbicide tolerance, Disease Resistance, cold and drought tolerance, nutrition, and pharmaceuticals. Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials all have negative opinions about GM
foods. Health risks, environmental concerns, and economic risks are just a few. Therefore, these types of genetically modified foods have the potential to be a real life saver when it comes to our populations growing in ways that it never has before.
Opinion/Reflection:
I think that this type of food making will most definitely be needed in the future. Especially once our population gets to an outrageous number. This may not be the most safe way to get food, but when it comes down to having dinner or preferring not to have it because it might not be safe, I think most people would choose the food.
Questions:
1. Would you feel safe eating Genetically Modified foods?
2. What is another way we could feed the growing population most efficiently?
3. Do you see GMOs as a problem, or a great solution?
1. I may or may not feel comfortable eating a genetically modified food. It would depend on what the food was, and what the modification was.
ReplyDelete2. I think another way we could feed the growing population more efficiently is by producing more food/organisms instead of modifying them from their natural forms.
3. I think GMO's can be a problem and a solution. Scientists dont know the exact repercussions of the modified organisms that they are creating. But if they are successful they could be a great way to keep up with our growing populaiton.
I think we need the GMOs also. With out them lots of food could be lost. We really rely on things like this to keep the food rate up. Without them we would be lost and not have as much food to live off of.
ReplyDelete1)Do you think GMOs are good or bad?
2) How else could they be a problem to the people or other organisms?
3) Do you think GMOs could hurt society and other organisms, or be a good factor to them?
I was able to send the author something on the actual article. I hope that she comments. Here it is:
ReplyDeleteHello,
My name is Carlea Stremme and i am a student at Hatboro Horsham High School. I am currently enrolled in an Enviromental Science and classand we are doing a blog. One of my group partners found this article and decided to share it with us. If you could comment on our blog, we would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Carlea Stremme
Here is an awesome video teaching us about the GMO effects on humans! The video below explains how scientists develop GMOs. The video also helps you better understand why they are making GMOs and how they can contain viruses and bacteria and they're effect on humans. It also shows us that GMOs are not necessarily great!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAP6ZtfP9ZQ