Tag: GMOs

Blog, Special Edition on GMOs

GMOs in My Lifetime: How Genetically Modified Crops Have Transformed Rural America

by Adam Riesselman Summary: The advent of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has rippled through the fields and homesteads of the United States, changing the way farmers conduct their operation. Fueling both the industrialization of agriculture as well as an organic food response, GMOs have pushed the culture of farming in new directions. — An Iowa sunset on the family farm. I’m one of the kids … Continue reading GMOs in My Lifetime: How Genetically Modified Crops Have Transformed Rural America

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Opinion–GMO: It’s easy as D-N-A!

by Jeff Bessen cartoon by Shannon McArdel Before forming an opinion on genetically modified foods, one should understand what genes are in the first place. Knowledge of the history and biological function of genes helps explain why scientists are almost unanimous in their endorsement of the safety of GMOs.   If the genome of a cell is a bestselling novel – say, Harry Potter – … Continue reading Opinion–GMO: It’s easy as D-N-A!

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Are genetically-modified organisms now safer?

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have amazing potential for improving lives, from providing nutrients to undernourished populations to cleaning up pollutants to synthesizing drugs on large scales. Yet escape of GMOs into the environment could upset nature’s balance, just as invasive species can cause extinctions of native species. Recently, researchers have effectively encoded safety locks into the genomes of these organisms to prevent their proliferation into … Continue reading Are genetically-modified organisms now safer?

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Super nanners! Engineering bananas to save vision, life in East Africa

A new banana, genetically engineered to produce ample amount of provitamin A, has hit the news. They’re heading for human trials in the US and to the fields of Uganda by 2020, if all goes well for the Australian and Ugandan scientists developing them. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness among children. 250,000 to 500,000 children are blinded by vitamin A deficiency each year. In East Africa, vitamin A deficiency is common and bananas are a staple crop. If these orange hued bananas make it to market, farmers maybe able to lift quality of life simply by swapping yellow fruit for orange. Continue reading Super nanners! Engineering bananas to save vision, life in East Africa

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Genetically Modified Organisms: The good, the bad, and the future

The Nobel Prize is named after a scientist, Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes in his will in 1885. Alfred Nobel is famous for inventing dynamite. However, he mistakenly believed that his invention would bring about a more peaceful world. He is quoted as saying, “My dynamite will sooner lead to peace than a thousand world conventions. As soon as men will find that in … Continue reading Genetically Modified Organisms: The good, the bad, and the future

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