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Genetic Engineering Pros And Cons

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Technological advancements in the scientific field have led to the advent of genetic engineering, including the genetic modification (GM) of food that may hold the key to the solution of many existing problems like food shortage, world hunger and genetic diseases. Uzogara (2000) state that the intentional attempt to alter the genetic make-up of plants or animals is known as genetic modification. Scientists have shown the potential benefits that those genetically engineered crops can bring about such as increased shelf-life in Flavr Savr Tomato and pest-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, which are said to benefit the producers. From the consumers’ point of view, what matters most is the health benefits that genetically engineered crops will bring about, which wild-type food crops may not be able to do. …show more content…

However, the health hazards that the food crops manufactured by this new technology might pose are rarely made known to the public by the scientists who are working on genetically engineered crops, hoping that vagueness will breed ignorance (Pringle, 2005). I believe that the perils far outweigh the promises of genetically modified organisms. In chapters 2 and 11 of Pringle’s Food Inc, naysayers of genetic engineering called these genetically modified organisms “Frankenfood” because they believe that they can cause potential health hazards to humans. “Frankenfood” threatens human health due to the health problems it may bring such as allergenic reactions, potential diseases, antibiotic resistance in the gut and also a decrease in levels of other nutrients in the modified food

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Genetically modified organisms as we know it today is considered to have only negatives, but GMOs actually contain many positives. Such properties with crops like the conservervation of land and water resources are all possible because of genetic modifications. Crops today can be engineered to produce higher harvests from the same croplands. In some cases, the crop can double its production when the transition from traditional crops to GMO crops is completed by local farmers. This makes it possible to meet food demands of future generations with fewer farming

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What do a tomato, soybean and a french fry have in common? They are all some of the most commonly genetically modified foods sold on the market today. By using the genetic information from one organism, and inserting or modifying it into another organism, scientists can make food crops stay fresher, grow bigger, and have the crops create their own pesticides. Nevertheless, the technology to modify genes has surpassed its practicality. Genetically modified foods need to be removed from everyday agriculture because of the threat they pose to human health, the environment, and the impact on global economy.

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The labelling of genetically modified foods is seen as wholesome common sense, and it should be required to have the information on the back of every product. People have been manipulating the genetic makeup of plants for numerous generations using the process of traditional cross breeding. Genetically modified crops have been traded, grown and consumed around the world, including Australia since 1996. The progress and advancement in this field has impacted the way we view the deeper issues of this technology. While genetic engineering crop property has been gradually increasing, so have concerns, in that producing and eating genetically modified foods may pose unexpected environmental and health hazards.

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As Monsanto is a multinational company whose products are consumed by the food industry, it has to strictly emphasize on its moral obligations concerning the society where their products are being sold. Such moral obligation includes providing best quality of seeds to the consumers and betterment of farmer’s life (Stern, 2011). For this purpose Monsanto ensures high yielding properties of their seeds and it would prevent against insects eating their precious crops. This would ease the farmers in keeping their crops safe and reduce their hassle to sprinkle pesticides for crop safety. On the contrary these genetically modified seeds reported in causing health related issues on consuming the food grown from them.

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Role: Geneticists are scientists who study genes and heredity. They research about the structure and function of genes to understand how genetic information is passed from one generation to the next. The data from their genetic research can be used in a variety of ways. In genetic engineering, geneticists use this information to improve food production and quality. Molecular geneticists use the data to study genetics at a molecular level.

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Regulations of human biotechnologies, including the practices and products their policies cover, the jurisdiction of authority and the nature of enforcement differ from country to country. Countries such as the United Kingdom have established agencies that are responsible for licensing and monitoring research and commercial facilities that work with human embryos (“Other Countries”, n.d). Additionally, over forty countries have made some applications of human biotechnologies such inheritable human genetic modification and human reproductive cloning illegal (“Other Countries”, n.d). A survey in 2014 of thirty-nine countries, conducted by Motoko Araki and Tetsuya Ishii, discovered that there were a variety of regulatory approaches regarding human germline modification. Many European countries legally prohibited any intervention in the germline modification (Charo, 2016).

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However, it is often challenging to differentiate between medical and cosmetic genetic engineering. A genetic defect to one may be quite normal, but to another it may be a serious medical condition. For example, if one suffers from dwarfism, some may see this as a serious medical illness. However, there are several who live with this condition who do not think they suffer at all; they simply have had to live with a different set of circumstances. They do not think that dwarfism has diminished their life in any fashion; it may have even bettered their life in some way.

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This article brought forward some interesting things that I had not heard before. With the push for increased labeling of GMO products, the label itself does not tell what the food was exposed to and just because it might be non-GMO, it might have some potential health consequences. For example, the Bt gene, that originated in a bacterium, caused bugs to die. So with the aid of

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From the moment we began to unlock the secrets of the genome, the complete set of DNA including all genes and understand the effects that genes can have on human health, the idea of modifying the human genome – hence controlling these effects – has held both potential and peril. Visions of a bright future free from the sufferings of genetic disease contrast starkly with darker fears of a genetically-engineered “New World”. As society becomes more and more aware of this technique, there have been more questions about the moral implications of genetic engineering. The first time I heard about genetic engineering was when I heard NPR reporting on the advances of the scientists since the inception of CRISPR, the most prominent way to edit genes.

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For years, the health and safety of genetically modified foods have been debated and researched by scientists, but the question still stands: should genetically modified foods be allowed for consumption? The process of genetic modification involves inserting a gene from bacteria or a virus into an organism where it would normally not be found. The purpose is to alter the genetic code in plants and animals to make them more productive or resistant to pests or farming techniques. Genetically modified organisms, more commonly known as GMOs, have been a controversial topic of debate for a number of reasons. The ethics behind genetically modified foods come into question due to an abundance of short and long-term effects from the process, many of which are still unknown today.

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What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic Engineering is the modification of a characteristic of an organism using biotechnology. In other words, genetic engineering is when you change a gene in an organism. How does this work? A donor gives his genes to another person.

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Is Genetic engineering Safe? Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism’s genetic composition by artificial means, often involving the transfer of specific traits, or genes, from one organism into a plant or animal of an entirely different species. Human beings ought to consider the pros and cons of genetic engineering before using it. It is a contentious topic because people have different views of weather genetic engineering is safe or not.

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There is no knowledge about whether the foods are GMO or not”. Conclusion Genetically modifying foods definitely have huge benefits that could save other countries from starvation and preserve foods for the future and provide enough resources for a growing population. Although a number of concerns, such as safety, ethics and allergies are present with the topic of genetically modifying foods there has been no real proof yet of harmful effects and the foods have only proved to do good.

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