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    Gmos Essay

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    This document is a research paper on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) written by Elizabeth Marrero for an RWS 1301 class. It provides background on GMOs, including their rapid growth over the past 30 years to make up 90% of crops today. The paper explores the history of GMOs, effects on health and environment, and the role of Monsanto as the largest GMO seed producer. It discusses both benefits, such as increased yields and pest resistance, and disadvantages, including potential negative health impacts and increased herbicide usage. The conclusion maintains the impacts of GMOs remain debatable and production should be controlled to minimize harm.

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    Gmos Essay

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    375 views9 pages
    This document is a research paper on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) written by Elizabeth Marrero for an RWS 1301 class. It provides background on GMOs, including their rapid growth over the past 30 years to make up 90% of crops today. The paper explores the history of GMOs, effects on health and environment, and the role of Monsanto as the largest GMO seed producer. It discusses both benefits, such as increased yields and pest resistance, and disadvantages, including potential negative health impacts and increased herbicide usage. The conclusion maintains the impacts of GMOs remain debatable and production should be controlled to minimize harm.

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    This document is a research paper on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) written by Elizabeth Marrero for an RWS 1301 class. It provides background on GMOs, including their rapid growth over the past 30 years to make up 90% of crops today. The paper explores the history of GMOs, effects on health and environment, and the role of Monsanto as the largest GMO seed producer. It discusses both benefits, such as increased yields and pest resistance, and disadvantages, including potential negative health impacts and increased herbicide usage. The conclusion maintains the impacts of GMOs remain debatable and production should be controlled to minimize harm.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    375 views9 pages

    Gmos Essay

    Uploaded by

    api-296240279
    This document is a research paper on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) written by Elizabeth Marrero for an RWS 1301 class. It provides background on GMOs, including their rapid growth over the past 30 years to make up 90% of crops today. The paper explores the history of GMOs, effects on health and environment, and the role of Monsanto as the largest GMO seed producer. It discusses both benefits, such as increased yields and pest resistance, and disadvantages, including potential negative health impacts and increased herbicide usage. The conclusion maintains the impacts of GMOs remain debatable and production should be controlled to minimize harm.

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    Running Head: GMOs

    Elizabeth Marrero
    RWS 1301
    GMOs
    October 27, 2015

    Running Head: GMOs

    Abstract
    The production of foods with genetically modified organisms
    has grown rapidly over the past 30 years making 90% of our crops
    today genetically modified. The purpose of this research paper is to
    provide information on what genetically modified organisms are, and
    the effects and benefits that they have on humans and the
    environment. It presents us with the history of GMOS, how it started
    and how it has developed throughout the years. The study contains an
    investigation on the main company in charge of creating and
    distributing genetically altered food. The importance of this research
    paper is to gain knowledge on the origin of the food that we consume
    everyday. The results of this research will supply us with better insight
    of what GMOs are the essential information to decide to live a healthy
    life.

    Running Head: GMOs

    Introduction
    Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is one of the most important issues
    today that has been intensely questioned by farmers and others around the world. GMOs
    are special organisms that have been manipulated and altered to control characteristics for
    improvement productivity and product quality. When people mention GMOs they are
    usually referring to food. In recent years, GMOs have replaced our natural food with
    genetically altered foods. GMOs are created when scientists carefully choose particular
    genes inside one organism and insert them into another species. Scientists normally
    design GMOs to create a sort of improvement or benefit to the organism.

    The GMO debate is because foods critics oppose the operation of manipulating
    our food system claiming that it brings great risks to its users. As reported by the Forks
    Over Knives documentary, the FDA doesnt demand the same safety studies of
    genetically engineered food that it does of new drugs, so theres only very little
    information from scientists on the effects of genetically engineered foods.
    (http://source.southuniversity.edu/genetically-modified-foods-explained-80625.aspx).
    Critics also say the reproduction of genetically modified herbicide-resistant crops has led
    to the alteration of superweeds and insects that are resistant to herbicides and
    pesticides. This has led to a bigger use of herbicides and pesticides since G.E. crops were
    first introduced in American agriculture. Since food is a basic human right, and because
    GMOs have a huge involvement on the worlds food supply, extremely important ethical
    and moral issues emerge. This paper will explore the on-going international discussion

    Running Head: GMOs


    about these technologies and their impact on sustainable development.

    TheEstablishmentandHistoryofGMOs
    Genetic modification has been commonly used for the last 20 years in many
    industries. Ever since the development of farming, people have looked for ways to save
    their crops from insect pests. Even early farmers were known to have gathered seeds
    from high-yielding plants hoping that their producing crops the next year could remain
    undamaged from insect infestation. Insect attack is a significant agricultural problem that
    causes yield losses and lower product quality. Insects can cause harm in the field and also
    when theyre stored in silos. Insects ruin around 25 percent of food crops every year
    worldwide. The biggest challenge scientists have had for many years was to develop
    resistant varieties against pests to use in plants. Historically, farmers have changed the
    genetic composition of plants by choosing individuals that have the wanted traits for
    reproduction, crossbreeding, and cross-pollination. With modern technology, new tools
    and genes have been built for use in the genetic engineering of plants to create the desired
    traits and resistance to insects.

    Who Participates in Production of GMOs


    The biggest agricultural company in the world today is Monsanto. Monsanto
    is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, and it is also the largest
    producer of genetically engineered seeds on the planet. As stated by Lessley Anderson,
    Starting in the 80s, Monsanto shed its chemicals and plastics divisions, bought up seed
    companies, invested in bio genetics research, and ultimately reincorporated itself as an
    4

    Running Head: GMOs


    agricultural company. (Modern Farmer, http://modernfarmer.com/2014/03/monsantosgood-bad-pr-problem/). The company and its genetically modified organism (GMO)
    seeds have been the subject documentaries such as Forks Over Knives and GMO
    Omg, global protests, and environmental activists. Monsanto introduced a genetically
    modified product called Roundup Ready Soybeans, that are resistant to Roundup, which
    is a herbicide. The first crops introduced were soybeans and then corn in 1998. Roundup
    Ready crops were meant to improve a farmers ability to control weeds because now
    glyphosate could be sprayed in the fields without harming their crops. Monsantos main
    goal is to help farmers protect their crops from pests and disease by collaborating and
    partnering with researchers and scientists to create modified organisms with biotech. In
    other words, scientists create the GMOs and companies, such as Monsanto, apply them to
    the crops, grow them, and deliver them.

    GMOs Have an Effect on People


    The biggest concern surrounding GMOs comes from the health risks associated
    with these foods. Many studies have been conducted that show how genetically modified
    food can leave material behind inside of us, very likely to cause long-term problems.
    More and more people are starting to be diagnosed with life-threatening allergies, which
    can be linked to increased GMO intake. As stated by different researchers,37 people
    have died from side effects of GMOs, 1,500 partially paralyzed and 5,000 were
    temporarily handicapped by chemicals used in harvesting GMOs. (Forks Over Knives,
    http://cosmosdocumentaries.blogspot.com/2013/07/forks-over-knives-documentaryfilm.html). The toxins that are inside GM foods can cause infertility, allergic reactions,

    Running Head: GMOs


    miscarriages and cancer. As people continue to eat GM foods the side effects will
    increase and affect future generations.
    Benefits and Consequences
    Biotech crops, or genetically modified crops, have been cultivated
    commercially and adopted in steadily increasing numbers of countries over the past 15
    years. The genetically modified crops that have been cultivated globally include soybean,
    maize, cotton, canola, squash, papaya, sugar beet, and tomato. As mentioned in the Food
    Inc. film, GM crops have grown commercially since 1996, in 2011 16.7 million farmers
    across 29 countries and 19 developing countries planted 160 million hectares of biotech
    crops. (http://documentarylovers.com/film/food-inc/).
    The main reason why thesegeneticallymodifiedfoodsaresopopulartodayisbecause
    theycreateplantsthatareresistanttoweeds,pests,andotherdiseases.Otheradvantages
    ofGMfoodsarethattheycreateamoreefficientuseofland,theyrenecessaryto
    increasecropyieldsineverycountry,foodhasalongershelflifeforeasiershipping,and
    createssustainabilitytofeedtheworld.ThemainconcernisthesafetyofGMfoods,but
    globalscientificandregulatoryauthoritieshaveprovedbiotechcropsareassafeas
    conventionalcropsandstatedthatfoodfrombiotechcropsarethoroughlyevaluatedwith
    testingforfoodandenvironmentalsafety.Thefirstgenerationofcropshasbeen
    extraordinarilysuccessful
    The major disadvantages of GMOs are that they harm our health and create
    negative effects on the environment. GMO contamination has caused economic losses for
    organic and farmers that dont use GMOs who struggle to keep their crops clean. Most
    GM crops are altered to become herbicide tolerant, such as the Roundup Ready crops

    Running Head: GMOs


    that survive applications of Roundup herbicide. The problem is that this leads to an
    overuse of Roundup ,which results in superweeds, that are resistant to the herbicide.
    This is causing farmers to use even more toxic herbicides than usual and in consequence,
    it creates environmental harm and all genetically modified foods contain higher residues
    of herbicides. For example, Roundup is related to hormone disruption, birth defects,
    sterility, and cancer. Another disadvantage is that there is no way of consumers to know
    what foods have GMOs because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not
    require the labeling of these products.

    Conclusion
    Many exciting insights have emerged from recent research on plant genetic
    engineering. GMOs have presented us with solutions to the current issues of food
    shortages and the challenges dealing with pesticides that the world faces today. Scientific
    research has significantly grown with new discoveries that help us solve the problems
    that appear every day. The question of whether its convenient to use GMOs has remained
    debatable and for that reason, the production of GMOs should be controlled to minimize
    the negative impacts it has on the environment and human health.

    Running Head: GMOs

    Citations
    Anderson, L. (2014, March 4). Why Does Everyone Hate Monsanto?
    Retrieved from

    http://modernfarmer.com

    Barlett, D. (2008, May). Monsantos Harvest of Fear. Vanity Fair,


    Retrieved from
    http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/monsanto200805

    Britt, D. (2012, April). Genetically Modified Foods Explained, The Food


    Issue, 16(4).

    Corry, J. (Producer), & Fulkerson, L. (Director). (2011, May 6). Forks


    Over Knives
    [Motion Picture]. United States: Monica Beach Media.

    Dhaliwal, G.S. & H. Uchimaya, 1999. Genetic Engineering for Disease & Pest
    Resistance in Plants. Plant Biotechnol., 16,255-261.

    Jones, Alex. (2012, June 7). Genetically Modified Food Dangers.


    Available from
    https://youtu.be/DWiJPeGtxQ0
    8

    Running Head: GMOs

    Pearlstein, E. (Producer), & Kenner, R. (Director). (2008).


    Food Inc. [Motion Picture]. United States: Magnolia Pictures.

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