Debates Over GMOs – The Ultimate Solution
Have you ever wondered if you could make a glow in the dark animal? Thanks to genetic modification, it is not only possible, it has been done before (5). GM, or genetic modification, seems like a miracle maker, however it may come with a cost other than money. GMOs can be the ultimate solution to the world’s problems, but due to the mystery surrounding their safety, they are heavily scrutinized and kept away from the public.
GMOs are plants and animals that have had their DNA edited so that they may benefit humans more such as creating temperature resistance, more yield, and accelerated growth. Although this seems like a futuristic process, finding and using favorable traits selectively isn’t a new process as “Humans have used selective breeding techniques such as hybridization and plant grafting to improve domesticated foods by making them more appealing for thousands of years” (1). Genetically modified plants are accelerated versions of this through CRISPR. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is the process that can “find and replace” genes by selecting certain ones, cut them out, and replace them with preferable alterations. Common examples of this practice may include durum wheat, ruby red grapefruit, and tomatoes (5). These unnatural plants have been quite controversial due to the uncertainty about whether or not they are suitable for human consumption. There has been no consensus among scientists or organizations, as there has not been enough evidence and research to make a conclusion about GMOs. That has caused many areas around the world to impose strict regulations on them and some areas to outright ban their existence.
GMOs claim to fame is their ability to grow in smaller spaces, grow faster, grow year-round, and yield more. If GMOs are to be mastered, they may solve almost every problem the world faces today. The amount of food produced by the plants will increase rapidly and we will have more space to grow food so that the world may never run into a food crisis again, stopping many future conflicts and will allow world peace. Not only that, GMOs come at a cost of almost nothing, as no bad effects from this food has been proven. “GMOs are the most regulated and tested product in agricultural history. If this much testing has taken place and no bad health impacts have been found, surely there are bound to be none at all. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science: “The World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, the British Royal Society, and every other respected organization” have concluded “GM crops are no riskier than consuming the same foods containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques. GMOs are claimed to be the ultimate solution with almost no cost to make, financially or healthwise.
Not every piece of evidence supports the concept of GMOs, however. 28 different health issues have been associated with diets containing high amounts of GMOs based on a survey of 3,256 people. Common ailments include decreased brain functionality, memory loss, fatigue, obesity, food allergies, and digestive issues, etc. After going on a strictly non-GMO diet, 85% of those tested reported improvements in all of the ailments stated, mainly digestive issues. According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, “GMOs have been linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sterile, sick, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals”. GMOs are not mastered, as they are a relatively new thing, and barely any research has been done on them. The long term impacts they may have on humans is completely unknown. Also, GMOs replacement DNA comes from viruses and bacteria (mostly) due to their ability to resist chemicals and temperature, as well as their very quick growth and reproductive rate. Viruses and bacteria are not in the natural human diet, so eating them in large quantities is likely unhealthy, as viruses and bacteria are what cause disease in humans.
If perfected, “biotechnology can produce fast growing, robust, disease, and infestation-immune crops that will successfully grow in difficult environments while producing much needed nutritional supplements able to correct widespread public health issues such as global hunger and malnutrition from vitamin and mineral deficiencies”. Although GMOs are not perfect, their concept opens a gateway into solutions that can bring tranquility among the world. On the other hand, they may open a gateway into darkness where GMOs are unchecked and potentially dangerous that may cause widespread illness and the opposite of peace, as problems won’t be solved.
