Bronze-level articleGenetic modification

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*The rise in food allergies correlating to the rise of GM foods. All that can be said is [[correlation does not equal causation]]. The rise in allergies is a common phenomenon in developed countries, even though the popularity of GM food varies wildly between them.
 
*The rise in food allergies correlating to the rise of GM foods. All that can be said is [[correlation does not equal causation]]. The rise in allergies is a common phenomenon in developed countries, even though the popularity of GM food varies wildly between them.
 
*The impact on the environment where GM resistance leads to increased use of pesticides and herbicides. So far the evidence is mixed: some GM crops increase pesticide use, while other decrease it dramatically. The effect is also dependent on farming practices in the given area.<ref>http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/More-GMOs-Less-Pesticide.htm</ref>
 
*The impact on the environment where GM resistance leads to increased use of pesticides and herbicides. So far the evidence is mixed: some GM crops increase pesticide use, while other decrease it dramatically. The effect is also dependent on farming practices in the given area.<ref>http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/More-GMOs-Less-Pesticide.htm</ref>
*What might happen if modified genes transfer laterally to other organisms. For example, herbicide resistance could transfer to related weedy species, producing herbicide resistant weeds - obviously an undesirable outcome. Occurrence of this gene flow has been confirmed in field studies,<ref>Watrud, L.S. et al., [http://www.pnas.org/content/101/40/14533.short Evidence for landscape-level, pollen-mediated gene flow from genetically modified creeping bentgrass with CP4 EPSPS as a marker.] ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,'' October 5, 2004, vol. 101, no. 40, pp.  14533-14538.</ref> but so far it's uncertain whether this is a serious concern or not.
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*What might happen if modified genes transfer laterally to other organisms. For example, herbicide resistance could transfer to related weedy species, producing herbicide resistant weeds - obviously an undesirable outcome. Occurrence of this gene flow has been confirmed in field studies,<ref>Watrud, L.S. et al., [http://www.pnas.org/content/101/40/14533.short Evidence for landscape-level, pollen-mediated gene flow from genetically modified creeping bentgrass with CP4 EPSPS as a ma
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rker.] ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,'' October 5, 2004, vol. 101, no. 40, pp.  14533-14538.</ref> but so far it's uncertain whether this is a serious concern or not.
 
*A common myth perpetrated by GM opponents is that the crops use "terminator seed" technology (technical name Genetic Use Restriction Technology, GURT) which causes the crops to yield sterile seeds. While testing has been conducted on GURT, there is actually a moratorium on its commercial use.<ref>[http://www.adonline.id.au/terminatorseeds/summary.php GURT overview.]</ref>
 
*A common myth perpetrated by GM opponents is that the crops use "terminator seed" technology (technical name Genetic Use Restriction Technology, GURT) which causes the crops to yield sterile seeds. While testing has been conducted on GURT, there is actually a moratorium on its commercial use.<ref>[http://www.adonline.id.au/terminatorseeds/summary.php GURT overview.]</ref>
  
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So far, all evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of safety of GM foods.<ref>[http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/articles/biotech-art/peer-reviewed-pubs.html Peer Reviewed Publications on the Safety of GM Foods]</ref> The real "scandal" about GM foods is their [[anti-science|anti-scientific]] repression by the environmental movement.<ref>[http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2007/11/therealgmfoodscandal/ Prospect Magazine: The real GM food scandal]</ref>
 
So far, all evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of safety of GM foods.<ref>[http://www.agbioworld.org/biotech-info/articles/biotech-art/peer-reviewed-pubs.html Peer Reviewed Publications on the Safety of GM Foods]</ref> The real "scandal" about GM foods is their [[anti-science|anti-scientific]] repression by the environmental movement.<ref>[http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/2007/11/therealgmfoodscandal/ Prospect Magazine: The real GM food scandal]</ref>
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==Human genetic engineering==
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The prospect of '''human genetic engineering''' has also been extremely controversial, less for health reasons and more out of ethical concerns.  The practice does not now exist, but prenatal screening now allows parents to test a fetus or zygote for gender or disease.  Critics point to a slippery slope, arguing that if parents can choose to only bear male children or rule out any children with a heightened risk of cancer, then it's likely that when technology allows they will also choose to bear only exceptionally intelligent children or those with other commonly-desired traits, such as blue eyes.
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Movies such as the 1997 science fiction thriller ''Gattaca''<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/ ''Gattaca''], Internet Movie Database]</ref> have conceived of a world rigidly stratified by genetic code, where the wealthy bear superhumans and a person's opportunities for advancement - as well as the concurrent creativity and growth of society - is limited to what's dictated by their genes.  Surprisingly, this raises a good question that is as yet unanswered: does the diversity brought about by genetic variation and flaws outweigh the personal costs of parents' private tragedy?
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 05:17, 8 January 2012

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Genetic modification, or genetic engineering, is the manipulation of an organism's genes. All traditional methods of plant breeding - such as crossing, hybrid seed, doubled haploidy induction, chemically induced mutagenesis and radiation induced mutagenesis - modify the genes of plants. But the technique that is usually implied by the term "genetic modification," and that attracts the greatest outrage, is DNA recombination - introducing genes from one organism into another. This is usually achieved by isolating a gene, splicing the gene into a suitable vector such as a bacterial plasmid or a retrovirus, then transferring the vector to the organism to be modified.

Contents

Applications

Genetic modification has a wide range of applications. The most common genetically modified crops are designed to resist pests, herbicides, and changes in the environment[1]; have an increased yield; have additional nutrients not found in "wild" foods[2]; and/or stay fresh for longer periods after harvesting.[3]

Other uses of genetic modification range from the production of insulin to the creation of a new lithium-ion battery[4], up to creating superheroes or, if otherwise inclined, your very own Legion of Terror.

Controversy

Genetic modification plays straight into what Isaac Asimov called "The Frankenstein Complex," where there is an irrational fear of those who "play God" by mucking with nature. Indeed, many opponents refer to GM food as "Frankenfood".[5]

In a somewhat more rational manner, GM food opponents argue that global food shortages could be overcome by other methods such as better distribution and that genetic modification is done only to line the pockets of companies such as Monsanto. Monsanto sells seed for various GM crops developed to resist their (now out of patent) wide-spectrum herbicide glyphosate (RoundUp®); weeding is accomplished, then, by spraying growing fields with glyphosate. Of course, weeds are now developing resistance to ever-increasing levels of glyphosate.[6]

The safety fears consist of:

  • Concern over lack of "independent testing" of GM foods. In reality, non-GM varieties are not tested at all, so even manufacturer testing is a substantial improvement. Traditionally bred varieties are much more likely to contain allergens or toxins than GM foods, due to crudeness of the processes used.
  • The rise in food allergies correlating to the rise of GM foods. All that can be said is correlation does not equal causation. The rise in allergies is a common phenomenon in developed countries, even though the popularity of GM food varies wildly between them.
  • The impact on the environment where GM resistance leads to increased use of pesticides and herbicides. So far the evidence is mixed: some GM crops increase pesticide use, while other decrease it dramatically. The effect is also dependent on farming practices in the given area.[7]
  • What might happen if modified genes transfer laterally to other organisms. For example, herbicide resistance could transfer to related weedy species, producing herbicide resistant weeds - obviously an undesirable outcome. Occurrence of this gene flow has been confirmed in field studies,[8] but so far it's uncertain whether this is a serious concern or not.
  • A common myth perpetrated by GM opponents is that the crops use "terminator seed" technology (technical name Genetic Use Restriction Technology, GURT) which causes the crops to yield sterile seeds. While testing has been conducted on GURT, there is actually a moratorium on its commercial use.[9]

There is also a commercial aspect as some genetically engineered crops are not fertile, and thus require the purchase of new seed each year. This, however, is not unique to GM crops. Plants grown from traditional hybrid seed, in use since the 1920s, do not produce true copies in the second generation. Therefore, new seed must be bought every year from a plant breeder to keep its desirable characteristics.[10]

So far, all evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of safety of GM foods.[11] The real "scandal" about GM foods is their anti-scientific repression by the environmental movement.[12]

Human genetic engineering

The prospect of human genetic engineering has also been extremely controversial, less for health reasons and more out of ethical concerns. The practice does not now exist, but prenatal screening now allows parents to test a fetus or zygote for gender or disease. Critics point to a slippery slope, arguing that if parents can choose to only bear male children or rule out any children with a heightened risk of cancer, then it's likely that when technology allows they will also choose to bear only exceptionally intelligent children or those with other commonly-desired traits, such as blue eyes.

Movies such as the 1997 science fiction thriller Gattaca[13] have conceived of a world rigidly stratified by genetic code, where the wealthy bear superhumans and a person's opportunities for advancement - as well as the concurrent creativity and growth of society - is limited to what's dictated by their genes. Surprisingly, this raises a good question that is as yet unanswered: does the diversity brought about by genetic variation and flaws outweigh the personal costs of parents' private tragedy?

See also

  • Monsanto
  • Greenpeace, an international environmentalist organization which campaigns against GM food

External links

Footnotes

  1. Like frost-resistant strawberries.
  2. Like Golden Rice, which adds beta-carotene to normal rice to combat Vitamin A deficiencies in impoverished countries.
  3. Like the "Flavr-Savr" tomato.
  4. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102647672
  5. http://www.innerself.com/Health/frankenfood.htm
  6. http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/03/im_a_starry-eyed_techno-utopia.php#more An interesting rant by PZ Myers
  7. http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/More-GMOs-Less-Pesticide.htm
  8. Watrud, L.S. et al., [http://www.pnas.org/content/101/40/14533.short Evidence for landscape-level, pollen-mediated gene flow from genetically modified creeping bentgrass with CP4 EPSPS as a ma rker.] Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 5, 2004, vol. 101, no. 40, pp. 14533-14538.
  9. GURT overview.
  10. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/seed.html
  11. Peer Reviewed Publications on the Safety of GM Foods
  12. Prospect Magazine: The real GM food scandal
  13. Gattaca, Internet Movie Database]
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