Genetically Modified Foods Research Paper

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Give peas a chance! Genetically modified peas, that is. Genetically modified food (or GM for short) - it almost sounds otherworldly in a sense, but this is undoubtedly where the world is headed, especially with the world population rising faster than ever. Typically, genomes are spliced and DNA are ever so slightly modified by the intrusion of humans for the sake of a beefier tomato. In a sense, this is the layman term anyone can understand, more or less. The general population seems to agree that genetically modified foods are dangerous, or thought of as Frankenfoods. What people do not understand, though, are the benefits of producing GM food on such a grand scale. Perhaps one beefy tomato looks delicious in America where its appearance and …show more content…

“A GMO is created by injecting genetic material from plants, animals, or bacteria into a crop in hopes of creating a new and beneficial trait” (Blackwood). Some argue that this is the same concept as crossbreeding specific plants in hopes of acquiring a new type of seed to be planted. This is incorrect, as crossbreeding only enables one specific type of plant to be pollinated by a close relative in the same family. For example, in grocery stores one may see green cauliflower or broccoflower as it is typically called. Since cauliflower and broccoli are in the Brassica family, they can be successfully cross pollinated. It may look strange, but it has not been genetically modified in any way by …show more content…

The plant, Bt cotton, contains a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that codes for endotoxins that are toxic to many pests, especially cotton bollworms. You may not have heard of Bt cotton before, but it’s likely to be in everything that contains cotton, from blue jeans to furniture. Not only have Bt cotton crops reduced pesticide use by half, but also the number of predators - namely spiders, lacewings, and ladybirds, that prey on agricultural pests have doubled in this time frame”

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