Genetically Modified Organism

Introduction        

        A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is an organism that has been reformed by various genetic engineering methods. The most common genetically modified foods in America are corn, cotton, and soybeans (1). A potential health risk with genetically modified foods is how it may produce new toxins or even allergens. With populations growing exponentially, the need for food is extraordinary. Farmers need to be able to plant, grow, and distribute their crop as swiftly as possible. In order for this to be accomplished, a new method has been produced to create GMs at a high rate. Foreign genes are expressed to alter an organism. These genes are introduced to the host plant by the plasmid, which will express the desired phenotype necessary to consistently create the GM crop (1).

        The most popularized example of a genetically modified food is the very first GM food, a tomato termed “Flavr Savr” (3). This tomato is greater in size, contains better nutritional value, and maintains its freshness longer than commercial tomatoes that could be found in supermarkets. By combining standard tomato genes with genes of an arctic trout produces the “Flavr Savr”. With new advancements in agricultural engineering, a question poses of the potential impact on human health. The manufacturer that went on to produce the “Flavr Savr” had apparently changed the whole manufacturing process for quicker production and left potential side effects (3). An incurable, fatal illness termed Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome, which triggers an overabundance of eosinophil granulocytes in the blood, caused the death of 37 individuals. Therefore, it was taken off the market shortly after the reports of widespread illness (3).

        Genetic engineering of various food crops has the possibility to affect the biodiversity of a specific area in multiple ways. First off, genetically modified crops may alter a wide region of weeds, possibly due to the crop interacting with any natural weeds and gradually will become a genetically modified weed (4). Since genetically modified crops are shaped to be essentially resilient to any type of pesticides or herbicides, there is the chance that these crops could occupy land dedicated to farmers and thrive due to their unusual features. Many genetically engineered crops are comprised of antiviral genes. These antiviral genes have the potential to combine and form hazardous strains of viruses, which could devastate crops. Present day today, there is no direct link of this occurring, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on in the future (4). A second way is by the declining crop varieties that are planted. There is a problem already transpiring in agriculture to this day, which results in a substantial decrease of genetic diversity in crop cultures. A good amount of farmers are required to use only patented seeds, which in turn has the potential to decrease biodiversity. If conventional seeds are being used, farmers will financially struggle because of the enhanced crops created by farmers using genetically modified seeds (4).

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