GMO's

Matt Halla

1) Remember when you were a tour guide for an Alien? The Alien is back and wants to understand what a GMO is. Explain this information to the Alien

GMO stands for genetically modified organism. This is the result of a process where the genes from one species are taken and forced into an unrelated plant or animal. Genes are what make up our cells which in turn make us as humans what we are. The genes that are taken and forced into the plant or animal can come from a variety of places including bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or possibly humans. This process is called genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification (GM) (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).

2) State the controversy associated with GMO’s.
There are many controversies over the use of genetic engineering in all ways of life. There are many unknown effects that could happen to humans or even the native environment. There are only a few companies that could make this happen, so the food production would be dominated by the few. There is the debate that we shouldn’t tamper with the natural way of organisms. Society will be affected in a way that it may be angled toward the richer countries and leave the poorer countries in the dark (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml).

3) Are people’s reactions to GMO’s different in various regions of the world? Explain with references.

In Europe, their parliament voted on banning GM, genetic modification, crops in different countries. The members of parliament were voting on amending a proposal by the European Commission that would allow member states to restrict/ban the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. Businesses feared that it would hurt the farmers and break up the internal market. There was an overwhelming amount of votes in favor of banning GM crops, 548 were in favor, 84 were against, and 31 were abstentions (http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/13/gmos-divide-europe/). The US has GMO’s present in many processed foods while European countries have banned it as food ingredients (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).

4) What’s your reaction to this topic? Explain with references.

My reaction to this topic after reading the articles is that I would be against growing these crops. I think that the effects aren’t worth the risk of the positives that would happen. The fact that the natural way of organisms would be compromised and health issues for humans aren’t worth the food its creating (http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml). I am surprised that the majority of our processed foods in the US have these ingredients. Also, the FDA doesn’t mandate the labeling of GMO’s in food ingredient lists (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics).

5) Can GMO’s be changed? Should they be changed? Explain with references.

There have been many different GMO’s that have been tried, for example: artic fish genes that would allow tomatoes and strawberries to tolerant frost, jellyfish genes that lit up pigs noses in the dark, and potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics/faqs). Some of these I don’t think have a point in being used and shouldn’t have the effort put forth to continue trying.

6) While reading "Institute for Responsible Technology. GMO Basics (Also explore at least two of the other tabs on this page:http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-basics
"What were the two tabs that you explored? How did the information presented affect what you thought about GMO's?

I decided to explore the tab that explained the higher health risks for children. For example children have the greatest risk from GM foods which include: younger children, with faster developing bodies than adults, have a greater influence from these foods, children are more susceptible to allergies which may come about from the GM foods, children are more susceptible to nutritional problems which nothing shows that the foods are better or have more nutrients, and children are in danger from antibiotic resistant diseases which these foods can influence (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). I also looked at environmental risks. Cross pollination is a big issue with GM foods. They can contaminate the trees and wild flora around where they are being grown. Some of the foods that produce their own pesticide can contaminate nearby water and plants which can affect the wildlife in the area. There have become weeds that are deemed “super weeds” because of their resistance to herbicides (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/dangers-to-the-environment).
The information I have read has swayed me towards banning these types of foods because of all the harmful effects that they produce. They effect the entire environment around them, not just where they are grown. The way GM foods are processed and made is harmful to us as humans, especially children, and to the environment where they are cultivated.

7) Typing out the exact quote from any of the readings (and referencing it) list one powerful statement that you read.
Put the statement in context and explain why this statement was powerful enough to remember. (What made you react to this information?)

“The rats showed significant health damage after only 10 days, including damaged immune systems and digestive function, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partial atrophy of the liver, and potentially pre-cancerous cell growth in the intestines” (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/higher-risks-for-children). This was a powerful statement because it shows that the effects on younger generation. The young develop much faster and are influenced much greater so when I read that there was significant damage after only 10 days I was shocked. It wasn’t just damage in one area either; it was multiple areas and organs that were very disrupted by this. This test was done on young rats to show that developing bodies are greatly affected by these foods.