GMO - genetically modified organism is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans.
Because this involves the transfer of genes. GMOs are also known as "transgenic"organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same.
How Is Genetic Engineering Done?
Because
living organisms have natural barriers to protect themselves against the
introduction of DNA from a different species, genetic engineers must force the
DNA from one organism into another. Their methods include:
·
Using
viruses or bacteria to “infect” animal or plant cells with the new DNA.
·
Coating
DNA onto tiny metal pellets, and firing it with a special gun into the cells.
·
Injecting
the new DNA into fertilized eggs with a very fine needle.
·
Using
electric shocks to create holes in the membrane covering sperm, and then
forcing the new DNA into the sperm through these holes.
But haven’t growers been grafting trees, breeding
animals, and hybridizing seeds for years?
Genetic
engineering is completely different from traditional breeding and carries
unique risks.
Ø In traditional breeding it is possible to mate a pig with another pig
to get a new variety, but is not possible to mate a pig with a potato or a
mouse. Even when species that may seem to be closely related do succeed in
breeding, the offspring are usually infertile—a horse, for example, can mate
with a donkey, but the offspring (a mule) is sterile.
Ø With genetic engineering, scientists can breach species barriers set up
by nature. For example, they have spliced fish genes into tomatoes. The results
are plants (or animals) with traits that would be virtually impossible to
obtain with natural processes, such as crossbreeding or grafting.
IN YOUR FOOD! (may differ in different countries)
They were first introduced
into the food supply around the mid 1990’s.
GMO’s are now in vast majority of processed foods around the world.
Although there have been
attempts to increase nutritional benefits or productivity, the two main traits
that have been added to date are:
·
Herbicide tolerance
and
·
The ability of the
plant to produce its own pesticide
These results have no
health benefits, only economic benefit.
The Big Four:
Soy, maize, cotton and rapeseed account for almost all commercial GMO production. GM plants are grown mainly in North and South
America, but increasingly also in India, China and South Africa.
What
combinations have been tried?
It
is now possible for plants to be engineered with genes taken from bacteria,
viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Scientists have worked on some
interesting combinations:
·
Spider genes were inserted into goat DNA, in hopes that the goat milk
would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests.
·
Cow genes turned pigskins into cowhides.
·
Jellyfish genes lit up pigs’ noses in the dark.
· Arctic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost.
Field
trials have included:
·
Corn engineered with human genes (Dow)
·
Sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research
Center)
·
Corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University)
·
Tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii)
·
Rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics)
·
Corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene)
·
Potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering.
·
Human genes were inserted into corn to produce spermicide.
Herbicide tolerance lets
the farmers spray weed-killer directly on the crop without killing it.
Why should
we care?
·
Did you know that over 70% of foods in your grocery store contain
Genetically Modified (GM) ingredients?
·
The most common foods that are genetically modified, or engineered,” include
corn, soy, canola, sugar beet, and cottonseed oil, which can be found as
ingredients in almost all non-organic packaged foods, and even in the food in
most restaurants.
·
Additionally, the vast majority of GM corn and soybeans are grown to
feed livestock—meaning the GMOs are incorporated into animal tissue and
ingested at a much higher rate by humans than if we ate the corn or soybeans
directly.
·
So, unless you eat organic all the time, without food labelling, you
will inevitably participate in the great Genetic Modification experiment being
perpetuated on us all, whether we like it or not.
·
GMOs are banned
in 27 and labelled in 61 countries. There must be a reason for this.
·
GMOs have been
recently linked to cancer, leukaemia, autism, obesity, sterility and birth
defects, and a ton of other health issues.
Do
your research online.
· Furthermore, GMOs
have a very negative effect on the environment. The herbicides used by Monsanto
and other similar companies to grow these crops, sometimes run off into
neighbouring farms, streams and populated areas, which is poisoning our
environment and us as well. They have been also linked to the recent bee colony collapse.
What can I do?
·
Avoid any products that contain GMOs.
·
Do your research and shop smart
·
Buy organic food that’s grown closest to you.
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