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Emmanuel Liando
Instructor Kimberly Strickland
English 1010-403(Issue Exploration)
8 August 2014
Genetic Nightmare To Genetic Dream?
GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are a growing debate in the United States and
have been for quite some time. Founded in 1900s, Monsanto is the epicenter of the debate; it has
grown to be one of the largest GM seed Companies (i.e., Ag biotech) along with DuPont,
Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, and Dow. These five companies control 35% of the worldwide
seed market, including 59% of the pesticide market. Growing four major GM food crops
soybean, corn, canola, and cotton. All of these are used to make vegetable oil, soy, and corn
products. Six countries grow commercialized GM crops. America is first with 54%, Argentina
18%, Brazil 11%, Canada 6%, India 4%, and China with 3%.
A GMOs is a plant used in agriculture where the DNA has been modified using genetic
engineering techniques. In most cases the aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does
not occur naturally in the species. Examples in food crops include, resistance to certain pests,
diseases, or environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage, or resistance to chemical treatments
(e.g., resistance to a herbicide), or improving the nutrient profile of the crop. Examples in non-
food crops include production of pharmaceutical agents, biofuels, and other industrially useful
goods, as well as bioremediation.
Could Monsanto be the start of this nightmare? Monsanto promotes its technology as an
answer to mankind by feeding the hungry population, growing crops in harsh condition, and
increasing the nutritional value but with the current GM traits we are far from that answer.
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The first GM trait is herbicide tolerance (HT) which is engineered to survive a highly toxic dose
of weed killer. Monsantos herbicide killed all other plant life so, Monsanto created their own
HT crops (seed) to coincide with their Roundup Ready herbicide. Roundup ready crops can
withstand Monsantos Roundup herbicide. Companies bundle their HT crop with their brand of
herbicide. Since farmer needed herbicide, farmers were forced to buy the companys HT seed.
Glyphosate which is a compound that is in Roundup Ready kills plants by taking over an
enzyme in plants. Scientist found a bacteria that survived in a chemical waste pond near the
factory that produce Roundup Ready. The bacterias enzyme resisted the chemical, they copied
the gene, modified it and placed it into the DNA of HT crops. This how Monsanto dominated the
market in the 1990s.
The second trait is a built-in pesticide. A gene that is from soil bacterium, Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt). This was spliced with corn and cotton, it made pesticidal toxins in every cell.
This made cotton resistant to cotton boll worm, that dramatically eat cotton and damage crops.
Now cotton kills the worm thus saving the itself. About 68% of the crops are engineered to resist
a herbicide, 19% produce their own pesticide and 13% do both. This built in pesticide not only
kill the damage causing insects but kill every insect such as ladybugs, monarch caterpillars, bees,
etc.
Due to all of these GMOs, there have been massive studies going on; the harmful effects
it has on insects, humans, the environment and overall the world. One of those studies involve
the migration of monarch butterflies and GM corn. The concern is that the monarch butterflies
could be harmed by GM corn with the Bt gene. Caterpillars feed on milkweed, a weed that is
found growing near fields of Gm corn, when the corn is in it's early stages. Farmers spray the
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herbicide onto the corn. Whether it is from the overspray or wind blowing pollen onto the milk
weed plant, monarch caterpillars die within days of eating the pollen of GM corn.
Food intolerance in humans have increased. In earlier time food allergies and intolerance
weren't really know to us. Some say that Gm foods are to blame, One of the most unscientific
and dangerous statement made by biotech proponents is that million of people in the US have
been eating GM foods for a decade and no one has gotten sick. But studies have shown that GM
foods might have already be contributing to serious, widespread health problem across the globe.
Since no one is monitoring this problem, it could take years to fix. Studies on small animal(rats)
have been made, the studies show that after eating GM products. The rats had multiple health
problems and died several days later. Could this prove to be harmful for us?
With the environment ever changing with fires, earthquakes, tsunamis , etc. To global
warming to pollution, GM foods just might contribute to the environment. Gm Foods require
herbicide, well what happens to that herbicide when it's raining or blown from the field. It all
washes down stream in to our drinking water and supply, this affects our entire population
everything needs water our crops, our animals, us. Nobody really knows the long term effects it
will have on planet earth. I just hope if there is something that we can all work together to figure
it out.
Since the mid 1800s Gregor Mendel, A monk who taught natural history was carrying out
experiments with dwarf peas. Mendels work later lead to the basis of modern genetics and
genetic modification as we know it. With todays growing population of just over seven billion,
malnutrition and world hunger play only a small part of it. By 2030 the population may peak at
well over nine billion. What do we do at this point? As natural resources decrease, the demand
will be at an increase. Norman Borlaug said it is a delusion to think the worlds people can be
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fed without the latest technology. With current technology, we are able to feed about five billion
people. Genetic engineering may help the world deal with these problems. Over the last ten
years, scientists have produced a wide range of new GM crops. These scientist have grown
millions and millions of acres of GM crops. Two-thirds of American supermarkets contain
GMOs and only one in three Americans actually know what a GMO is.
Since the dawn of time, hunters and gathers have grown crops and raised animals. The
seeds of crops were saved because they produced the best yield and were used again. Survival
of the Fittest is natural selection, better animal produce better offspring with desirable traits.
Mendel discovered the laws of inheritance without any knowledge of cells or biochemistry, with
the use of peas. Genetically modified organisms have been changed through transfer of one or
more genes obtained from another species. As for today genetically modifying has sped up the
process in which artificial selection takes place. For example taking rice and altering it to have
more vitamin A, and giving it to children who have deficiencies to keep them from starving and
going blind. Such a rice exists it is call golden rice and is a genetically modified product.
World hunger could be solved with GM crops. GM crops resist pest and animal and can
be grow in harsh and unstable conditions. They produce more fruits, vegetable or grain in shorter
time. For example genetically modified strawberries have been spliced with parsley. Parsley has
an anti freeze gene that was spliced with the strawberries so in turn the strawberries can be
planned earlier in the season and grow throughout the season still producing fresh fruit.
Todays population closely reaching eight billion, around one billion people in the world
are starving. In a few decades we will surly double are population, with most of the increase
coming from third-world countries. There needs to be a 70% increase in everything by 2025 just
keep up with the demands. Some people argue that there is plenty of food to go around and that it
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needs to be monitored and distributed more evenly. To achieve this goal the world would have to
require dramatically change in world politics and economic attitudes. This is very unlikely to
happen, so people have found other ways of advancing such as Monsanto.
Using GM technology in food is still new everybody. Nobody knows whether eaten these
foods will prove harmful in the long term or its effect on the environment. GMOs could be a
genetic dream and could altogether end world hunger or have an effect on human all
together.Providing a future for the worlds people by having an abundant supply of food. Having
to use less resources to make food. Using a super rice to keep children from going blind. Third
world countries having plenty of food because the crop can grow in harsh weather or water
shortages. A world where no one goes hungry is a world I would like to see.





I selected this issue to make readers aware of what is happening. What are the con and
pros of GM food and what to know? I wrote this paper for the general audience to help them
understand what is out there, and give them an idea of what to expect. GM food has its flaws in
my opinion, but if monsanto can fix those problems I think it would end world hunger altogether.
Another thing people don't realize due to GM seeds is that, it is very rare to find a seed that isn't
modified at all that is another thing to look at. Overall I hoped you enjoyed the paper. Thank you
for you time.

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To GMO or NOT to GMO? By: Erdosh, George, Lusted, Marcia Amidon, Odyssey,
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Smith, Jeffrey M.. Seeds of deception: exposing industry and government lies about the
safety of the genetically engineered foods you're eating. Fairfield, IA: Yes Books,
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"Genetically modified crops." Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation, 29 July 2014. Web. 2 Aug.
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