...Is genetic engineering the answer to ending global hunger? Jennifer E. Law SCI 207 Haleh Keshtkar February 27, 2012 The controversial statement that genetic engineered food may be the solution to hunger in the world is gaining more and more interest by the media in today’s society. On the one hand, supporters of biotechnology believe that genetic engineered food ensures and sustains food security around the world as the population increases, but on the other hand, there are many concerns involved with genetically modified food. In fact, a lot of food that we eat on a daily basis contains genetically modified ingredients and usually without our knowledge. Yet, is genetic engineered food safe? Moreover, do we really need genetic modified food? Many researchers do not consider biotechnology the solution to hunger but they believe that poverty is the cause of famine in numerous countries. As a result, biotechnology raises various questions among citizens and farmers since there is the assumption that genetic engineered food is the key to eliminating global starvation (Genetically, 2010). Before weighing the pros and cons of genetic engineered food, it is essential to understand what is genetic engineered food? “Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms” (What is genetically, 2010). Scientists have learned that there are ways of changing the structure of DNA in living organisms and build customized DNA. Genetic...
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...future hunger controversy is what inspired biotechnology and genetic engineering. The hopes of solving the food problem of this world’s growing population has brought about the genetic engineering or genetically modified crops in farming. Even though some proponents that genetically modified foods could be beneficial to the world, to include taste and quality, and resistance to disease, the truth is yet to be recognized unequivocally. There are thousands of questions to be answered and further research to be done. Public awareness is equally necessary and the reality of food and crop engineering and distributing is also yet to be complete. This paper will examine if the consumption of genetically engineered foods is good for human health, the agriculture and the world’s food supply, genetically engineering involving nature, the positive and negative aspects, and the food security and alternatives. II. Human Health a) Public Awareness b) Taste c) Promises III. Agriculture and Food Supply a) Pollution of crops b) Does more or less need to be done with genetic modification c) Too much or too less will cause hunger IV. Nature a) Will species be harmed? Will land be harmed? V. Positive and Negative Effects a) Pros b) Cons VI. Food Security/Alternatives a) Alternative Routes b) Organic Farming VII. Conclusion There are great alternatives to genetic engineering; there will always be surplus requirements. The nation has...
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...Benefits of Genetic Engineering in Agriculture The production of technologies based on genetic engineering is often referred as modern biotechnology. With the improvement of genetic engineering techniques, the time for generating and evaluating new germplasm (a collection of genetic resources for an organism) can be drastically reduced. Genetic engineering may ultimately have their most significant effect on agriculture. Recent advances have raised possibility of development of new plant germplasm through introduction of any gene from any organism into plant. With respect to agriculture, modern biotechnology has been considered as the second phase of green revolution. Organisms whose genes have been altered by manipulation are called genetically modified organism (GMO). The working of GMO is due to nature of transferred genes, nature of host organism and food web formed. Some useful benefits of genetically modified plants in agricultural biotechnology are: 1. Improved nutritional quality 2. Better Nitrogen Fixation 3. Disease resistant Plant 4. Enhanced efficiency of minerals used by plants to prevent early exhaustion of fertility of soil. 5. Reduced post harvest losses The first genetically modified food was Flavr Savr Tomato which was resistant to rotting. Another genetically modified food is golden rice (Pro Vitamin A enriched). Several other genetically modified foods include, soybeans, corn, cotton, seed oil etc have been formed. But many controversies...
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...Genetic Engineering Wesley Rupe, Jawad Rana, Layli Stroia, Charles Taiwo, Mariella Velasquez, Mark Young DeVry University Genetic Engineering Table of contents Title page ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 Table of contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 1. A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the associated science (Mariella Velasquez) ………………………………………………..……………. 3 2. Psychological considerations and sociological effects (Mariella Velasquez) …………. 3 3. The historical development and context of the technology (Wesley Rupe) …………. 13 4. Political and legal influences (Mark Young) (Not Complete) 5. Economic questions and considerations (Jawad Rana)………………………………….…… 21 6. The technology in its cultural context, media influence (Charles Taiwo) (Not Complete) 7. Implications for the environment (Charles Taiwo) (Not Complete) 8. Moral and ethical implications (Layli Stroia) ……………………………………………………..… 30 Outline A brief description of the technology and an explanation of the associated science Definition: What is Genetic Engineering? Genetic engineering (GE) is the process of manipulation of an organism genome to create a new DNA. The new DNA might be implanted in a totally different DNA species. It is widely used to create hybrids (some species are not able to naturally breed), correct genetic flows in any type of being. It is applied in...
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...Peter Rasla ENG 102 Michele Mohr April 17, 2012 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...
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...Genetic Engineering and Global Hunger Outline “Genetic engineering is a very broad term which covers a range of ways of manipulating the genetic material of an organism. It is also variously called gene manipulation, genetic manipulation, recombination DNA technology, the new genetics, and in humans only gene therapy.” (Bruce & Bruce 1999) Today many farmers and are using this technique to help produce more livestock and crops which is why this issue in agriculture is one of the most contested technologies of the past half-century. Which raises a question, is genetic engineering the answer to ending global hunger? I will look at both sides of genetic engineering ending world hunger and discuss the impact of genetic engineering on the environment. Body Paragraph # 1 Topic Sentence: Genetic Engineering on livestock Supporting Evidence: Many individuals that produce livestock in the world are turning to genetic engineering for their cows, pigs, and other livestock. The reason for this is genetic engineering can be used to create better and more productive livestock, which will boost the farmer’s milk and meat production. Since the beginning of genetic engineering, “the farming community has successfully increased the yield and efficiency of production in most agricultural species while utilizing land resources that are often unsuitable for other agricultural purposes.” (Fahrenkrug, Blake, Carlson, Doran, Van Eenennaam, Faber, & Whitelaw, 2010) Body Paragraph # 2 ...
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...Genetics Scott Cliff Post University Genetic engineering (GE) has been presented to the public as a way to improve the quality of our lives, enhance agriculture and advance our ability to fight genetic illnesses. The possibilities seem endless, but raise worries as well as optimism (Fricker, 2002). The Human Genome Project, conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Health and Human Services, undertook the task of mapping all human genes their chromosomes (Morse, 1998). This project contributed greatly to the potential for GE in humans, but in fact GE has already been used in agriculture. However, some biologists point out that we call “genetic engineering” has been accomplished for centuries via cross-breeding, and that GE is just a new way of accomplishing something already done in the past (Fricker, 2002). The risk with GE is that genes can be combined in ways never before possible, and with possibly unpredictable results. For a decade, we have had the capability to insert alien genes into target cells, thus changing the organism. This can be done with cells taken from a patient. After altering, they can be returned to the patient to achieve some medical goal (Anderson, 1990). The concern with GE is that it can have both anticipated and unanticipated effects (Fricker, 2002). Because of this, we should proceed cautiously and carefully, with many safeguards in place. Genetic engineering is largely uncharted territory and only hubris would allow...
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...(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 industries to learning about the science of life and the improvement of the value of materials and organisms such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock.[4] In other words, biotechnology can be defined as the mere application of technical advances in life science to develop commercial products. Biotechnology also writes on the pure biological sciences (genetics, microbiology, animal cell...
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...Whitney Summers Ms. Wert English 101 H December 3, 2012 Genetic Engineering Just imagine the scene: and newlywed wife and husband are sitting down with a catalog, browsing joyously, pointing and awing at all the different options, fantasizing about all the possibilities that could become of their future. Is this a catalog for new furniture? No. This catalog for all features, phenotype and genotype, for the child they are planning to have. It is basically a database for parents to pick and choose all aspects of their children, from the sex of the child, to looks, and even to personality traits. Parents since the beginning of time have “planned” to have children, but never have they been able to legitimately “plan” out their child. This scene does not seem typical for our time and age, but truthfully it is what is becoming of our world. Through substantial research and experimentation that is taking place, scientists, specifically biologists, are becoming keener to the field of engineering; Genetic engineering that is. When one thinks of “genetic engineering,” the first thought is probably a perfect child, or paradoxically some inconceivable creature, forged under the microscope in a scientific laboratory. Though both of these are genetic engineering, many people do not consider other things, such as genetic engineering of agriculture and medicine, both of which are extremely useful. Through the genetic altering of plants and crops, scientists have been able to manipulate...
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...Elibada Date: September 14, 2014 Topic: Genetically Modified Organism Genetically modified organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered during genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that undergo in the processes of genetic engineering enables to change its characteristics from its original characteristics. Insects, plants, fish, mammals, bacteria and yeast are the organisms that can be genetically modified. Genetic modification is used to manipulate, remove, add or change the genes of an organism to achieve the desired characteristics. If there is organism that needs to be improve, we can use other organism even if they are in different specie, and get its genes to be implant to the first organism that can finally achieve the desired traits. In result we made a new organism. We can apply the idea of genetic modification in the plantation of fruits and vegetables. For example, there are plants that can’t resist extremely cold temperature in a long period of time like tomatoes, that can result in decaying of tomatoes that cannot be sell anymore. This is what scientist where able to change the genetic modification. They figure out a way to take DNA from one organism and put it inside the completely different organism to create a desired specific outcome. We can get genes from an arctic fish that can stand in a very low temperature and...
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...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 making them immune to...
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... Biotechnology is a scientific innovation that focuses on developing products for humans, from the combination of biological systems and engineering methods. Biotechnology is the branch of biological sciences which involves using living organisms, and applying the latest engineering tools and techniques to develop certain commercial products for specific uses. The easiest way to understand the process of biotechnology is the process of genetic manipulation of organisms for the production of antibiotics, and hormones for specific use by the human race. Although we humans have rapidly advanced our understandings of biotechnology recent years, biotechnology is actually one of the oldest sciences. It existed in prehistoric times with the growing of crops for food or sale, and the breeding of animals. Currently, biotechnology has four types of applications. First being healthcare because it is the most recognizable to people when we think of biotechnology. Gene therapy which on a cellular level, uses the genetic material to cure or treat diseases. Producing new drugs and testing them is also a major part of the biotechnological application in healthcare. The next of the four types of application for biotechnology is agriculture. Genetic engineering and transplanting has benefitted agriculture by increasing the yield of crops. Also by engineering plants to resist pathogens or insects can make our foods safer because it takes away our need for pesticides which make the production of...
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...Genetic engineering Genetic engineering is one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent history. It has been impossible until the recent times because of the complexity of DNA structure. But, with the development of science, modification of the genetic code of an organism has been made possible. Genetic engineering has many applications, such as in medicine and agriculture, but it has become an area of controversy due to the possible dangers of its usage, and has also raised many ethical concerns. Why is it so? First of all, genetic engineering is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genetic material. Therefore, it is unnatural, and we all know that playing with Mother Nature can be very dangerous. Introducing genetically modified genes may have irreversible effect with yet unknown consequences. It is still too early to see how, for example, genetic engineered food will effect the environment, the natural food chain and the wild life. Also, it is unknown whether the long term consuming of such food can cause toxic or allergic reactions. These are all very important questions which still remain unanswered. Also, genetic engineering borderlines on many moral issues, and it questions whether humans have the right to manipulate the laws and courses of nature. There are ethical concerns about whether the technology should be used not just for treatment of various diseases, but also for enhancement or modification of human beings' appearance,...
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...but low in fat and cholesterol-free, called mycoprotein (myco-:fungus), it is seen as a healthy substitute for meat. Fusarium is cultured in fermenters and marketed under t brand name ‘Quorn’. Enzymes Enzymes are highly important in industry and medicine. Microorganisms are cultured in fermenters, and they secrete enzymes which are separated from the culture medium and processed to be used in powdered or liquid form. Enzyme production is a rapidly growing industry. They are used in the following areas:- Food and agriculture Chemical industry Pharmaceutical industry Medicine Analytical Sciences Enzyme Production Microorganisms are used to produce enzymes and other products for a number of reasons:- 1. They are easy to grow in large fermenters where output can be controlled to meet demand. 2. They can be sustained on a wide range of readily available and easily prepared nutrients 3. They can be genetically manipulated ( genetic engineering) to produce enzymes with enhanced qualities. Genetically engineered microorganisms can also...
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...Genetic Engineering Facts By definition, Genetic engineering is the modification of an organism’s genetic make up through artificial means often involving the transfer of specific traits known as genes, from one organism to another. In simpler terms, it is the manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s characteristics in a particular way. The following are some important facts one needs to know on this topic. Genetic engineering can mean deleting DNA to get rid of undesired traits or introducing new genes to get desired traits, but it can also mean combining DNA from separate people. We can begin by talking about the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international research effort to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome. HGP researchers untangled the human genome using three tools: producing what are called linkage maps, through which inherited traits (such as those for genetic disease) can be tracked over generations; making maps that show the locations of genes for major sections of all our chromosomes; and determining the order, or "sequence," of all the bases in our genome's DNA. The research revealed that there are probably somewhere around 30,000 human genes and has given the world detailed information about the structure, organization and function of the human genes and other functional components found in DNA. This information can be seen as the basic set of inheritable "instructions" for the development and function of a...
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