Understanding the Biology Behind GMOs

Many of us have heard of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs for short. To some, GMOs may seem like a foreign concept. Many may shun them out of fear of the unknown. Others may even claim that GMOs are toxic and promote monocultures, a common cause for our consumption of organic foods. After all, “81% of those who care a great deal about the issue of GM foods say that organic produce is a boon to health”, according to the Pew Research Center. But what if I told you that this is untrue? In fact, many of these arguments are untrue and lack sufficient supporting evidence. Therefore, today we will answer many misconceptions about GMOs and discuss them in detail.

GMO stands for genetically modified organism, which refers to living organisms that were genetically modified in a lab via the insertion of genes into the organism’s nucleus. While this may sound foreign and, in some ways, frightening, it’s not as crazy as it may seem. In fact, the genetic modifications that are done make them more efficient, as well as more environmentally friendly. 

A typical crop GMO would be more resistant to insects, weeds, and the weather, all of which are common obstacles that farmers are forced to deal with. Scientists are able to develop GMOs that are more resistant to these hindrances by altering their DNA in a lengthy process. First, scientists identify what trait they want that plant to have, such as resistance to drought, herbicides, or insects. Then, they find an organism that already has that trait within its genes, and copy that gene. Using tools, scientists insert that gene into the DNA of the desired plant, and monitor the trait after growth. thereby providing them with methods to naturally deal with these obstacles. 

With this technology, several benefits are possible in agriculture. For example, we can combine insect-resistant genes from bacteria and insert it into corn plants. In the future, with genome editing technologies, we may even be able to remove the breeding bottleneck, thus speeding up the process.

Interestingly, GMOs are not only useful for agricultural purpose, but in medicine as well. Insulin is one of the most important proteins the human body creates, and when the body is unable to produce enough of it, there can be drastic consequences, the most notable one being type 1 diabetes. When medicinal insulin was first developed in 1922, it was extracted from pig and cow pancreases. However, shortages in these supplies lead to fears. Thankfully, the introduction of recombinant DNA technology provided a new pathway to create insulin. As genetic engineering continues to advance, it is important that we do not fear all new developments in the technological and medicinal fields. Although we should be careful, embracing these technologies will help prevent hindering the human race’s progress. 

Citations

https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes#:~:text=To%20produce%20a%20GMO%20plant,that%20trait%20within%20its%20genes.

https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2016/12/01/americans-views-about-and-consumption-of-organic-foods/

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/understanding-the-biology-behind-gmos-can-help-consumers-evaluate-gmo-safety

https://organicmattersblog.com/2015/09/09/gmos-the-great-debate-science-or-science-fiction/

Image Credit:

https://non-gmoreport.com/what-is-non-gmo-what-are-genetically-modified-foods/

(The Organic and Non-GMO Report)