Genetically modified organisms. Also known as GMO's have changed America's agriculture system. By increasing plant life, reducing the risk to diseases, and reducing the need for pesticides. GMO's have drastically helped farmers to increase their crop yield. In an article published on Live Science, titled What is Genetic Modification, and written by Rachel Ross. She talks about the benefits of GMO's, the publics hesitations, and the future implication to other fields. She tells us that the use of gene modification dates back many years. It's used to selectively breed organisms based on gene combinations that are more desirable. Dog's as an example are an example of gene modification. By breeding dogs with other dogs that have more desirable traits we began the path to the mass amounts of GMO's we have today. The first plant to be subject to this kind of modification was wheat. They bred wheat grasses to create domesticated varieties that had larger grains and hardier seeds. This led to corn becoming the next genetically modified crop. Corn was bred to increase ear size, and amount of kernels that an ear produced. After the successful mutation of corn, and wheat it led to other produce being modified including bananas, apples, and tomatoes. These were modified to increase shelf life, and make them taste better. The technology that allowed this genetic mutations was created in 1973 by Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen at the University of California. They first started by modifying bacteria. These experiments then led to create medications. Ross talks about the four different types of genetic modification. The first is selective breeding, where two strains of plants are introduced and bred to produce offspring with specific features. The second Mutagenesis, introduces plant seeds to chemicals or radiation in order to mutate the organisms. The third and one of the more popular is RNA interference, which inactivates undesirable genes in plants to remove any undesired traits. The final, and the most popular is Transgenics, which is the introduction of a desirable trait into an organism. The use of these three methods have lead to cotton, corn, soybeans, apples, bananas, oranges, and many others to being genetically modified to fit into our lifestyle. Even though genetically modifying these organisms has provided mass amounts of benefits people are hesitant to trust these practices. Some researchers are worried that the cross-contamination of non-GMO's and GMO's will lead to the production of undesirable yields of produce. The research can also be applied to many different scientific fields. The practice of genetic modification has already been used in animals. Farmers breed to improve growth rate, muscle mass, and to encourage disease resistance. One issue with genetically modifying any organisms is some researchers have applied it to humans. In hope to heal broken bones, or cure diseases. There has not been enough research done to encourage this practice. While most Americans can agree that GMO's have benefited our agriculture industry some people are still weary about its practice. The practice of genetic modification could be the leader of the future for cures for cancers, and many other incurable diseases. While the research still needs experimentation and confirmation there is no reason to believe genetically modified organisms aren't the science of the future.
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Article:
Ross, Rachel. "What Is Genetic Modification?" LiveScience, Purch, 1 Feb. 2019, www.livescience.com/64662-genetic-modification.html.
