When one hears the term, "genetic engineering" the image of a hideously mutated plant or a mouse with glow-in-the-dark ears comes to mind. While it is true that DNA is altered (mutated) due to genetic engineering, the effects are not always visible. Although there have been many issues regarding the consequences of modifying an organism's DNA, there have also been many benefits to doing so. Genetic engineering can be done to humans, animals, bacteria, anything that has DNA or RNA but for this post, I will be focusing more on the genetic engineering done to the plants humans eat.
For farmers, genetic engineering technology has created stronger crops that can “withstand weather extremes and fluctuations” (ConnectUSfund). Farmers will be able to produce large volumes of undamaged crops no matter the severity of the weather. Genetically engineered plants are also protected from insects because they can produce their own pesticide. The good thing about this is that farmers do not have to spray toxic pesticide on their crops. Not only does genetic engineering help
the farmers, it also benefits the consumer!
Most of the veggies eaten at the dinner table are Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Those shiny, plump, flawless, delicious looking tomatoes? Those juicy, sweet, yellow kernels of corn? How about those nutritious vitamin-C filled carrots? All of those listed vegetables are GMOs. In fact, the original tomatoes were a lot smaller, with more wrinkles and lumps than a GMO tomato; corn was thin, tiny, almost inedible; carrots were “originally purple or white with a thin, forked root” (Business Insider). The ConnectUSfund blog also claims that “GMO foods have been engineered to become more nutritious in terms of vitamin and mineral content.” GMOs are so beneficial that it has helped alleviate some of the nutritional problems around the globe!
All of these benefits sound wonderful but there are downsides. Scientists are human and will make mistakes when modifying the genetic makeup of a plant. Unfortunately, those mistakes have consequences such as creating mutations that are harmful for human consumption or just taste strange. The plant/vegetable could lose its flavor; when genetically modifying a plant, the new proteins that are created can cause an allergic reaction that would have never happened with the original plant.
Insects can also develop immunity to the protections that have been genetically engineered in the plant via natural selection. Another consequence would be the GMO plants cross pollinating with non GMO plants, creating an invasive species. The natural predators will not be able to eat it, thus causing an overpopulation of GMO plants in the wild.
However, the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine says “there is little documented evidence that GM crops are potentially toxic.”, also stating that “GM crops are tightly regulated by several government bodies.” That includes the “Food and Drug Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” (Kay). The GMO plant has to go through a long procedure of approval to even get to the shelves so the chances of contracting an illness from GMO is very slim.
Genetic engineering in plants has its pros and cons. Environmental consequences that should be considered before we ultimately change the plant’s DNA. Regardless, it is clear the GMOs help more than harm. It helps farmers protect their crops from insect predators and the weather, people around the world are now able to get nutrients they could not have gotten before and the crops taste great too (most of the time)! I encourage everyone to read about genetic engineering in plants to stay informed on the topic. We are eating those GMOs after all!
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