Bt corn, which is a genetically modified strain of corn which kills insects who ingest it, is a highly controversial crop. Certain studies that have taken place in prestigious colleges, such as Cornell, have shown it to kill monarch butterflies and damage the ecosystem. Other researchers believe it is highly beneficial in increasing crop yield and also claim it is more effective than pesticides in reducing Corn Borers. There exist many benefits and drawbacks to the use of Bt corn.
Bt corn is a form of corn where Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria, is transplanted into the corn as a form of pesticide. Ric Beesin, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky, claims “A donor organism may be a bacterium... In the case of Bt corn… Bacillus thuringiensis, and the gene of interest produces a protein that kills Lepidoptera larvae… Growers use Bt corn as an alternative to spraying insecticides for control of European and southwestern corn borer.” (Bessin) The basic idea behind Bt corn is, as Beesin said, an alternative to spraying. In addition Bessin also claimed that Bt corn is useful in eradicating the Lepidoptera larvae. Beesin alludes to the fact that Bt corn “is very selective, generally not harming insects in other orders (such as beetles, flies, bees and wasps)” (Bessin). Due to its selectivity, Bt corn also reduces harm to the natural ecosystem aside from removal of the corn borers. According to Syngenta, a major producer of Bt corn, “Once corn borers enter the corn stalk… conventional treatments are not always effective, or even possible… [Insects] continue to eat away at the inside of the corn stalk. Eventually, enough damage is done that the corn plant can be easily blown over by wind or even knocked down by rainfall...
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... Bt corn, compared to conventional corn.” Milkweed, which is the primary food source for monarch butterflies (Study), can easily be contaminated when the pollen is blown away from fields and into the surrounding environment. Contamination of milkweed kills monarch butterflies, and, as such, affects the entire environment.
Bt corn is a controversial issue. It benefits farmers and crops to the detriment of nearby ecosystems. Personally, I believe Bt corn’s pros far outweigh the cons. One simple solution to the environmental issue would be to simply create a buffer zone surrounding crop fields. According to research at Cornell, Bt pollen travels up to 60 yards, making a 60 yard buffer zone surrounding fields could easily negate this. Overall, I feel the minor harm done to monarch butterflies is far inferior to the increased yield and benefit to corn farmers.
Corn subsidies are driven by the major food and gas companies in our country that want to dictate what food we put in our plate and what fuel we put in our cars. The companies can do this because of the artificially low price tag on the items they sell because of the cheap cost to produce corn. The only concern for the major corporations is to please their respective shareholders by delivering high profits. They are certainly not concerned with the health of the consumer or the environment.
Monarch Butterflies and Butterfly Weed, a type of milkweed, have coevolved as plant and pollinator. This means that they both rely on one another to survive. Milkweed is the primary source of nutrition for monarchs. Monarchs only eat Asclepias tuberosa a particular species of Milkweed. The monarch relies on toxins in the milkweed to fend off predators such as birds. The toxic tendencies of the milkweed plants caused the government to attempt o eradicated the plant along roadsides and in cow pastures. This has caused a major decline in population of milkweed, which is also endangering monarchs. Milkweed relies on the monarch to pollinate it so that it can reproduce.
Humans are trying everything they can to trap the Gypsy moth and try to remove it from there eco-system, but the Gypsy moth keeps on reproducing. An annual trapping program is one method in which they place traps that attracts male Gypsy moths and gets them stuck in a sticky surface. If a substantial amount of moths are caught by the trap then more traps are set in that ecosystem. Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (BTK) is a toxic soil bacterium that is sprayed over an area to prevent defoliation. When Gypsy moths are exposed to BTK the toxic causes stomach poisoning and they would eventually die. (Government of Canada,
Corn, or maize, plays a vital role in many areas of the world today, and each location views and handles corn in a different way. How they manage corn can show small details about the area and culture as a whole. Not only is corn a staple today, it also had a huge presence in the ancient Native American’s lives; corn is sometimes revered as a deity and other times as a gift to the people from the Creator or a hero of the culture.
On the contrary, the tools of GE are created to snip nature’s crop by damaging the environment, increasing the number of herbicides and pesticides used and the risk of permanent genetic trash. Monsanto and other companies mention their seeds and food have been tested for safety. But no environment or food safety has been recorded on genetically engineered crops and foods before commercialization. The companies have done the whole enchilada within their level to steal the rights to safe and healthy foods from the societies and consumers. Vandana emphasizes that other organization have told that soybean covered with Roundup crops are additional estrogen and could claim as hormones. Dairy cows that eat Roundup Ready soybeans produce milk with increased fat levels that cows that eat consistent soybeans. Vandana complicates matters further when she writes. “Super weeds could lead to "bio invasions," displacing local diversity and taking over entire ecosystems.” Monsanto and a former life sciences organizations created a method of injecting the toxin producing gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) into corps. This specific BT gene harvest a toxin that restricts insects, and the genetically engineered BT plants and therefore, able to create their own
Chickamauga Analysis The Civil War forced citizens across the United States to face the realities and understand the consequences of war forcefully, due to the presence of the highest American casualties in any war, happening to be fought on the homefront. Ambrose Bierce showcases his personal experience in battle through the events of “Chickamauga”, including gore, personal loss, and shock. This story tells of a young child that ends up in the aftermath of the second most costly battle of the Civil War, and the magnitude of the losses each person must bear due to violent conflict. Ambrose Bierce’s use of: Tone, Imagery, and Point of View prove that experience and understanding must be applied to the evaluation of topics, and is illustrated
The Bt pesticide stands for Bacillus Thuringiensis. Scientists transferred the Bt gene into the corn to create a crop that produces its own pesticides. As the corn matures, it grows stronger poison, and as insects such as the corn borer eat fatal amounts, the Bt corn destroys the intestines (Burnham).... ... middle of paper ...
Obesity in America has risen dramatically in the last forty years. Many believe high fructose corn syrup is to blame for this and other health related issues like diabetes and high blood pressure. High fructose corn syrup was invented by Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi in 1957 (Production of high fructose corn syrup). Scientists have done tests and many reports and found many statistics showing the same thing: once high fructose corn syrup (or HFCS) was added to food and beverages in 1975, obesity rose without warning. The U.S. has the highest obesity rate in the world: “roughly two-thirds of adults and one-third of young people in the U.S. are now overweight or obese” (McMillen). That’s a massive amount, and it’s growing at a steady pace with little sign of ending any time soon. We also eat more mass produced food than any other country in the world. High fructose corn syrup has taken over the food market and has found its way to almost all of our food and drinks.
Barium is a soft, heavy, silver-colored metal element. This element does not have very many uses outside of the laboratory, but it combines easily with other chemicals to form compounds used for important industrial uses. For example, Barium carbonate is used in the manufacture of ceramics and special glass, and also to purify certain chemical solutions. It is also an ingredient in clay slurries, also known as water muds, used in drilling oil wells. Barium titanate is used in sonar detectors and other electrical equipment. At low doses, barium acts as a muscle stimulant and at higher doses affects the nervous system eventually leading to paralysis. Acute and subchronic oral doses of barium cause vomiting and diarrhea, followed by decreased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Higher doses result in cardiac irregularities, weakness, tremors, anxiety, and dyspnea. A drop in serum potassium may account for some of the symptoms. Death can occur from cardiac and respiratory failure. Acute doses around 0.8 grams can be fatal to humans. Barium nitrate makes signal flares burn with a green flame. Barium ferrite is used to make magnets. Barium sulfate is an extremely insoluble barium compound that is not poisonous. Doctors use it in X-ray examinations of a patient's digestive system. The barium sulfate absorbs X rays to show an outline of the intestines on the developed film. A barium enema is performed to examine the walls of the colon. During the procedure, a well lubricated enema tube is inserted gently into the rectum. The barium is then allowed to flow into the colon. The flow of the barium is monitored by the health care provider on an X-ray fluoroscope screen. The test is used to detect colon cancer. The barium enema may also be used to diagnose and evaluate the extent of inflammatory bowel diseases. Barium sulfate and zinc sulfide form lithopone, a white coloring matter for paint. Barium is never found in a pure state because it combines so easily with other elements. Pure barium is obtained by passing an electric current through a fused barium compound, such as barium chloride. A piece of barium metal quickly reacts with oxygen and water vapor in the air to form barium oxide. It must be stored under kerosene to keep it pure. Barium is found most often as barium sulfate in the mineral barite. The chemical symbol for barium is Ba.
Alternative energy is the world’s race as of now. As the space race concluded and the nuclear arms race died down, alternative energy became the race of the ages. In today’s society, with today’s technology there are all sorts of forms of alternative energies. These energies include hydro power, geothermal, biomass, nuclear power, and so much more. With all of these variations of alternative energy the question now becomes, which form is the best to use? Are any of them safe? Which ones would effectively solve the world’s depleting energy crisis? Of course, the country that is able to produce clean efficient energy; that country would become the new world power virtually overnight. With today’s technology, should we resort to food/corn as our primary source of energy?
Others include birds, butterflies, and the wind; however, honey bees, by far, are the best at pollinating plants. Collecting pollen is their whole life’s purpose, according to Michigan State University’s article, “Native Plants and Ecosystem Services”. Over one hundred forty three million acres of plants in America are sprayed with a bee-killing insecticide that has been banned in Europe by the European Food Safety Authority (Sarich). Promote ecological farming, and ban all bee-harming pesticides.
“Some studies have supported the premise that Roundup herbicide, used in conjunction with the GM seed called “Roundup Ready”, can be harmful to birds, insects, and particularly amphibians” (Ferrell, Thorne, & Ferrell, 2016, p.431). Additional studies indicate that umbilical, placental, and embryonic cells may be harmed by Roundup herbicide. While there is no direct link to Roundup herbicide killing honey bees, critics argue that Monsanto is killing off the bees creating the need for their mechanical Robobees to pollinate crops. Because wind, bees, and other insects carry seeds across the environment, organic farmers are concerned that their crops are being contaminated by the GM products. As plants develop resistance to herbicides, chemical manufactures will develop stronger herbicides that will potentially be even more
After viewing this documentary to the best of my ability I have learned numerous facts about corn and its pros/cons. Corn is stored in a silo and when an overflow occurs mountains of corn are made outside of the silos. This corn grown in the Midwest is in almost all of the food in every supermarket ranging from steak sauce to syrup to lasagna. Majority of its use is as a sweetener in the form of corn syrup or high
The term ‘genetic engineering’ covers several methods of manipulating genetic material, otherwise known as genetic manipulation; recombinant DNA technology and gene therapy in humans (Atkinson, 1998). This technique is not only used for genetic transfer between plants but, genes from non-plant organisms can be used as well. A known example of this is the transfer of the B.t gene found in corn and other crops. The B.t gene, or otherwise known as ‘Bacillus thurngiensis (Bt)’; is a naturally occurring bacterium that creates proteins with crystals that are fatal to insect larvae (Whitman, 2000). These B.t genes have been transferred into the corn, allowing the corn to effectively produce its own pesticides against insects.
These corn root worms won't affect Scott's insect-resistant GMO corn because the pesticide is always in the plant. In addition, the GM corn was created only to harm a small group of insects and this allows for other beneficial insects to survive and assist the crops, since Scott did not have to spray pesticides. Farmers use GM crops mainly because of a reliability issue, not only are biotech plants easier to maintain, but they are less likely to cause a devastating loss. To a point where even insurance companies will provide farmers with lower premiums. Troy Rausch, another Indiana farmer, states ".