...TJ Durst 12/15/15 Mr. Trout GMO Corn Genetically modified organisms are organisms that have had their genes modified or altered to change the outcome of that organism. Over the years many organisms have been genetically modified for good reasons and some for bad reasons. Many genetically modified organisms have helped us, such as crops that yield more, have immunity chemicals, and fight off predators. There are also stupid and bad genetically modified organisms, such as web spinning goats and designer babies. Corn has been modified in many different ways but one of the most useful modifications is insect repellent, used to keep insects from eating and killing the plant, but scientist don't know what other effects can happen. With advanced...
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...Our group will be focusing on the history of the corn market. We have broken the group down to focus on bioengineering of the corn, farmers side of production, consumption, and government regulations on it. I will be focusing on the bioengineering side of corn with the example of Monsanto seed patents. Corn is the number one crop grown in America. The main reason is that corn is such a productive and versatile crop, responding to investments in research, breeding and promotion. It has incredibly high yields compared with most other U.S. crops, and it grows nearly anywhere in the country, thriving best in the Midwest and Great Plains. Plus, it can be turned into a staggering array of products. Although corn is a highly productive crop, with...
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...as the transgene) may come from another unrelated plant, or from a completely different species: transgenic Bt corn, for example, which produces its own insecticide, contains a gene from a bacterium. Plants containing transgenes are often called genetically modified or GM crops, although in reality all crops have been genetically modified from their original wild state by domestication, selection and controlled breeding over long periods of time. On this web site we will use the term transgenic to describe a crop plant which has transgenes inserted. Image:Results of insect infestation on Bt (right) and non-Bt (left) cotton bolls. Source: USDA | Why Make Transgenic Crop Plants? A plant breeder tries to assemble a combination of genes in a crop plant which will make it as useful and productive as possible. Depending on where and for what purpose the plant is grown, desirable genes may provide features such as higher yield or improved quality, pest or disease resistance, or tolerance to heat, cold and drought. Combining the best genes in one plant is a long and difficult process, especially as traditional plant breeding has been limited to artificially crossing plants within the same species or with closely related species to bring different genes together. For example, a gene for protein in soybean could not be transferred to a completely different crop such as corn using traditional techniques. Transgenic technology enables plant breeders to bring together in one plant useful...
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... Genetically Modified Food The field of biotechnology and genetic engineering has been gradually improved, and the bioengineer could make a huge difference in our life by modifying the crops that we need. Genetically modified food could solve many problems to humans such as, cultivating new crops with new characteristics that could help humans. Also genetic engineering could help some countries to cultivate new crops they couldn’t cultivate it before for many reasons such as weather, soil type, and cultivating seasons. However, recently genetically modified food could make a big influence to human’s life, and it helped them to cultivate new crops, they wouldn’t be able to cultivate it without it. About 200 years ago Thomas Malthus predicted that according to that big increase in the humans’ population which is currently up to six billions, “the number of mouths that need to feed is increased. The numbers of cultivated crops is stable since Thomas Malthus has made his prediction; this has been the result of amazing technological advances in agricultural sciences with advent of biotechnology and genetic engineering, which have served to increase the average yield of various farm products’’ (Nayak et.al 112). Most of the countries started to cultivate genetically modified crops to feed their needs, and they could increase their crops number quickly. Global cultivation of genetically modified food in 1996 was three million hectares...
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...For example, insect-resistant transgenic plants have been engineered, such as BT-Corn. BT-corn is a type of genetically modified organism (GMO). A GMO is a plant or animal that has been genetically modified through the addition of a small amount of genetic material from other organisms through molecular techniques. Currently, the GMOs on the market today have been given genetic traits to provide protection from pests, tolerance to pesticides, or to improve its quality. To transform a plant into a GMO plant, the gene that produces a genetic trait of interest is identified and separated from the rest of the genetic material from a donor organism. Most organisms have thousands of genes, a single gene represents only a tiny fraction of the total genetic makeup of an organism. A donor organism may be a bacterium, fungus or even another plant. In the case of BT-Corn, the donor organism is a naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, and the gene of interest produces a protein that kills Lepidoptera larvae, in particular, European corn borer. This protein is called the BT delta endotoxin. Growers use BT-Corn as an alternative to spraying insecticides for control of European and southwestern corn...
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...develop a new range of practices that can help to improve our quality of living. The definition of biotechnology is commonly referred to as using organisms or their products for commercial purposes. Some of the things that biotechnology have been used to do is bake breads, brew new alcoholic beverages by adding different kinds of flavors and textures, and it has also been use to help breed animals and also crops for human and animal consumption. In recent years there have been new changes in molecular biology have that have been able to give the world of biotechnology a new meaning and purpose and potential for other applications. What is now gathering the attention of people today is biotechnology a more modern version that affects the foods that we eat. Biotechnology has had a relatively positive effect in today’s world and economic structure. One example of modern biotechnology is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the process of transferring individual genes between organisms or modifying the genes in an organism to remove or add a desired trait or characteristic. Genetic engineering is the method of changing DNA molecules in order to alter the material it contains. By this type of genetic engineering scientist can alter either the kind of proteins or even the type basically altering what an organism is able to produce. This was primarily used in agriculture first mostly by farmers. Scientist would alter the genetic makeup of seeds for the crops basically...
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...Genetically Modified Crops- A Sociological Study Group project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Course Introduction to Sociology and Social Anthropology Course Code DC01 BA Social Sciences Submitted by Aashna Singh (100115) Priyanshu Barodia (100301) Abhishek Kumar (100564) Rupam (100568) Aila Bandagi (100277) Sashwatha Sridhar (100288) Kiran Johnson (100019) Souparna .V (100090) Minakshi Patel (100362) Vibhor Choudhary (100485) Tata Institute of Social Sciences Hyderabad 2012-13 CONTENTS * Introduction ……4 * GM Crops-What, How and Why? ……5 * Technology Used ……7 a. BT Technology b. Recombinant DNA technology c. Terminator Gene Technology * Health Impacts- ……9 a. Deaths and Near Deaths b. Viral and Bacterial Illness c. Cancer and Degenerative Diseases d. Antibiotic Threats...
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...Genetically Modified Disease and Pest Resistant Crops Ethan Peart Ajax High School Genetically Modified Disease and Pest Resistant Crops Crops are attacked by pests and disease all around the world, farmers expect to lose a certain percentage of their crops every year. This problem has led to the scientific pursuit of crops that are naturally resistant to pests and disease, farmers work to make their crops resistant to plant disease and pests through genetic modification. Canadians stand to benefit from genetically modified disease and pest resistant crops as an alternative to harmful pesticides that can be consumed by unsuspecting people. Genetically modified plants are able to fend off pests while...
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...Biotechnology Insulin crystals Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity).[1] Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of bioengineering and biomedical engineering. For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology in agriculture, food production and medicine.[2] The term itself is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by Hungarian engineer Karl Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st century, biotechnology has expanded to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene technologies, applied immunology, and development of pharmaceutical therapies and diagnostic tests.[3] Definitions of biotechnology The concept of 'biotech' or 'biotechnology' encompasses a wide range of procedures (and history) for modifying living organisms according to human purposes — going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. Biotechnology is defined by the American Chemical Society as the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various...
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...Fedoroff Agric & Food Secur (2015) 4:11 DOI 10.1186/s40066-015-0031-7 Open Access REVIEW Food in a future of 10 billion Nina V Fedoroff* Abstract Over the past two centuries, the human population has grown sevenfold and the experts anticipate the addition of 2–3 billion more during the twenty-first century. In the present overview, I take a historical glance at how humans supported such extraordinary population growth first through the invention of agriculture and more recently through the rapid deployment of scientific and technological advances in agriculture. I then identify future challenges posed by continued population growth and climate warming on a finite planet. I end by discussing both how we can meet such challenges and what stands in the way. Keywords: Population growth, Agriculture, Domestication, Genetic modification, Technology Background Today we have enough food to meet the world’s needs. Indeed, we have an extraordinary global food system that brings food from all over the planet to consumers who can afford to buy it. The food price spike of 2008 and the resurgence of high food prices in recent years have had little impact on the affluent citizens of the developed world who spend a small fraction of their income on food. By contrast, food prices have a profound impact on the world’s poorest people. Many of them spend half or more of their income on food. During the food price crisis of 2008, there were food riots in more than...
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...GMO MYTHS AND TRUTHS An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan June 2012 GMO Myths and Truths An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops Version 1.3 by Michael Antoniou Claire Robinson John Fagan © Earth Open Source www.earthopensource.org 2nd Floor 145–157, St John Street, London EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom Contact email: claire.robinson@earthopensource.org June 2012 Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this paper, or otherwise published by EOS, are those of the authors and do not represent the official policy, position, or views of other organizations, universities, companies, or corporations that the authors may be affiliated with. GMO Myths and Truths 2 About the authors Michael Antoniou, PhD is reader in molecular genetics and head, Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King’s Cols: lege London School of Medicine, London, UK. He has 28 years’ experience in the use of genetic engineering technology investigating gene organisation and control, with over 40 peer reviewed publications of original work, and holds inventor status on a number of gene expression biotechnology patents. Dr Antoniou has a large network of collaborators in industry and academia who are making use of his discoveries in gene control mechanisms for the production of research, diagnostic and therapeutic products...
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...industries, medical sciences, food technologies and genetics. "Biotechnology is basically defined as the use of living organisms, their parts and their biochemical processes for the creation of beneficial products." Bio-technology has its roots in the distant past and has a large, highly profitable, modern industrial outlets of great value to society for e.g. the fermentation, bio-pharmaceutical and food industries. The main reasons must be associated with the rapid advances in molecular biology, in particular, recombinant DNA technology, which is now giving bio-scientists a remarkable understanding and control over biological processes. Some Technologies used in Biotechnology: 1. Bioprocessing technology * The use of bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells and/or enzymes to manufacture products * Large scale fermentation and cell cultures, carried out in huge bioreactors, manufacture useful products * Products: Insulin, vaccines, vitamins, antibiotics, amino acids, etc. 2. Monoclonal antibodies (MCAb) * Definition: Producing antibodies for medicine by cloning a single cell * MCAb are used for Home Pregnancy tests * Used to detect cancer (they bind to tumor cells) * Used to detect diseases in plants and animals and environmental pollutants 3. CELL CULTURE TECHNOLOGIES * Growing cells in containers or large bioreactors * Plant cell cultures are used to grow genetically engineered plants that...
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