For thousands of years, farmers have carefully bred their crops and livestock in order to gain benefits such as increased yield and resistance to pests. Traditionally, the process (known as artificial selection) is time-consuming because it takes generations before any noticeable changes can be observed. Additionally, artificial selection is confined to organisms which are closely related to each other. This limits the possibilities for new traits to be introduced into organisms. Presently, because of major advancements in agricultural technology, scientists are now able to ‘breed’ on a much higher level. With the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), the feats which humans are able to accomplish far surpass anything that was capable with traditional breeding. Genetically Modified Organisms are any organisms which have been genetically altered from its naturally occurring form. GMOs are developed to possess certain traits, and they are created for the purpose of benefitting farmers, consumers, and businesses. Some GMOs are being currently in development for use as biofuels, biomaterials (such as bioplastics), and medicinal usage; however, nearly all of these products are not currently available on the market, and are confined to the laboratories …show more content…
The primary method of creating transgenic animals involves transforming the embryo of the animal and then letting it develop as normal. The procedure begins when the gene of choice is isolated and established. Similar to the gene gun transfer of the transgene into the plant cells, the transgenes are injected into the egg of the animal. The egg is then incubated and allowed to grow until it is birthed. From that point the animal is tested for the trait in its offspring, and it undergoes other safety tests. Scientist can also inject the transgenes into a carrier virus with the target animal embryo is then infected