Genetically\nEngineered\/ modified organisms are made with the intention of improving quality\nof life. Genetic modification or engineering refers to application of a special\nset of gene technology whose end result is alteration of genetic machinery or\ncomposition of organisms such as plants, animals or even microorganisms (Smith\n27).\nThe whole process entails combination of genes from varying organisms\n(recombinant DNA technology), with the resulting \u2018product\u2019 being defined as\ntransgenic, genetically modified or genetically engineered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nmost common GMOs are plant species. These crops possess characteristics such as\nresistance to herbicides, insecticides, viruses as well as certain types of\nweeds. They come with increased nutritional value such as increased vitamin and\niron content. Most of these plants are able to withstand extreme weather\nconditions. Interestingly, there are some like bananas that are able to produce\nvaccines for resistance against certain diseases such as Hepatitis B. with\ngenetic engineering, trees and other plants that would otherwise take forever\nto grow mature faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brief\nHistory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genetic\nengineering dates way back in the 1940s when scientists first discovered the\npossibility of transferring genes between living organisms. Over time, several\nDNA transfer mechanisms, all which occur naturally, were developed (Bittman 69).\nAn antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant was the very first Genetically Engineered\ncrop to come into existence in later years (1983). China became the first\ncountry to take Genetic modification to a commercial level by introducing\ntobacco that was virus resistant in 1990. Four years later, USA\u2019s Food and Drug\nAdministration showed its support for GMO by approving modification of tomatoes that delayed on\nripening after picking; \u2018Flavor Saver Tomato\u2019. After this, many other crops including\nherbicide resisting cotton, virus-resistant squash, soybeans, potatoes, corn,\nstrawberries, lettuce and carrots were able to get marketing endorsement\n(Ronald 16-32). With time, this GMO wave spread across continents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GMO\nMerits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nvery first step into embracing GMO is considering its safety. Transgenic\norganisms are as a result of incorporating other species\u2019 genes to their DNA.\nAlthough this is a process that cuts across organisms, it is more common in\nplants than animals. It does come with certain advantages that would otherwise\nbe wishful thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disease\nControl<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genetic\nModified foods come in really handy in preventing the occurrence of certain\ndiseases. Through modification of the DNA composition in these plants, all\nallergy causing properties are successfully eliminated (Lantz 113-119). This\nway GMOs, can as control diseases to some extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increased\nFood Production<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genetically\nengineered crops grow much faster than traditional ones leading to an increase\nin food production. With the \u2018better\u2019 DNA composition, these crops are able to\ngrow even in places that experience droughts or areas whose soil does not\nsupport agricultural production. With genetic modification, such plants are\nable to survive unfavorable climatic conditions and actually thrive amidst all\nodds. Normally, plants thrive with seasons. However, transgenic crops do well\nall year round, eliminating the seasonal aspect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lower\nCost of Production<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n With\ntransgenic crops, the cost of production is considerably lower than that of\ntraditional crops. Their natural resistance to insects and pests translates to\na lower need for use of traditional herbicides and pesticides. Ultimately, this\nleads to lower exposure to harmful insecticides and pesticides, which makes\nGenetically Modified plants more environmentally safe and friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Higher\nNutritional Value<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genetically\nengineered crops have higher nutritional content than their traditionally grown\ncounterparts. They are more palatable to the human taste, making them an\nabsolute favorite among most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increased\nShelf Life<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Transgenic\ncrops are known to spoil at a much slower rate than the traditionally grown\nones. With tomatoes, for instance, they do come with a delayed ripening rate\nupon picking, making them less perishable than before (Smith 27). <\/p>\n\n\n\n GMO\nDemerits <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As\nis the case with most technological advancements, genetically engineered crops\nare known to have their downside to the quality of human life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emergence\nof Certain Diseases<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most\npeople believe that consumption of genetically modified crops can lead to\ndiseases that are antibiotic resistant. The fact that they are a new invention\ncould mean that not much is known about them, and therefore their long term\nside effects could be an area that is not well-known. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-Disclosure<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most\nmanufacturers of genetically modified foods rarely put this fact on their label\nfor fear that it would hurt their business. Most people are still very unsure\nof their perception on genetically engineered food. As such, most manufacturers\ntend to leave this vital piece of information behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Resistance<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nexist certain cultural and religious groups that deem the whole ideal of GMO as\nunacceptable. They view it as defying the natural occurrence of things (Gordon\n3). A defiance to Mother Nature. The whole notion of transferring plant genes\nto animals and vice versa seems misplaced to them. As such, they remain\nconventional and they had rather go with the traditional way of doing things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Overdependence<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nis the fear that with increased production of genetically modified foods,\ndeveloped nations stand a better chance of taking advantage of less developed\neconomies given their levels of technological advancement. As such, these less\ndeveloped economies will always depend on the advanced nations for their food\nsecurity. The fear that food production will be controlled by developed\ncountries, robbing them of the chance to come out strong, is inevitable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genetically\nengineered crops are the new technology in agriculture. In as much as the\nmerits outweigh the demerits, concerns of the entire process being a disruption\nto the natural occurrence of situations cannot be ignored. \u201cThere is not much\ndata in regards to the long term effects of the entire process to the\nenvironment or even to the human existence\u201d, according to Peterson, Garry et\nal. (11). Additionally, there are no boundaries that exist; how far can genetic\ntransfer and interference of natural DNA composure go? What are the acceptable\nlevels? Scientists are still left with the dilemma of providing a clear\nguideline when it comes to matters GMO. The only fact that is there to stay is\nthat food insecurity remains an imminent threat given the rise in global\npopulation, and GMO seems to be the only viable solution that is taking care of\nthe threat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Genetically Engineered\/ modified organisms are made with the intention of improving quality of life. Genetic modification or engineering refers to application of a special set of gene technology whose end result is alteration of genetic machinery or composition of organisms such as plants, animals or even microorganisms (Smith 27). The whole process entails combination of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1138,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions\/1138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}