Valkyrie Spring 2018 - Issue 3

JUST A FAD?
What to Know About GMOs
Story by Grace Bailey, Co-Food Editor
Photograph by Spencer Russell
GMOs are genetically modified organisms. They have
been modified with the DNA of a different species,
and often with the DNA of a completely unrelated
species. The genetically modified organisms or GMOs
are the animals and plants that are genetically modified
in order to develop the useful or desired traits.
The techniques used to carry out genetic modification
are known as genetic engineering techniques.
John Graham, Reid Professor of Biology at Berry,
goes into detail about his experience with GMOs and
connects it to the research that has been done to illustrate
that there are both pros and cons to the scientific
endevour.
Graham said: “I’m neutral on whether GMOs are
dangerous or not, or whether they are harming our
health. In general, there is nothing related to the technology
that should be dangerous, though it would
certainly be possible to create a dangerous GMO...
There is much the public needs to know beyond what
it hears from the two competing camps: the agricultural
industry and the health food industry. If the
public understood the technology they would be better
able to judge the various claims about GMOs. In
general, scientists are far less worried about GMOs if
they understand the technology.”
PROS
- There is nothing related to the technology
that should be dangerous
- Non - GMO plants can be dangerous, Most
plants synthesize a variety of carcinogenic and
teratogenic chemicals to defend themselves
against herbivores. Most agricultural varieties
have had these chemicals bred out of them to
some degree.
- Some GMO foods have been modified to
make them more resistant to insect pests. The
University of California in San Diego reports
that a toxic bacterium can be added to crops to
make them insect repellent, yet safe for human
use. This can reduce the amount of pesticide
chemicals used on the plants, thus potentially
reducing exposure to pesticides.
- The FDA requires that GMO foods meet the
same requirements as all other foods
- If a GMO somehow reactivated the synthesis
of these chemicals, that would be a
problem
- GMOs that involve having a plant synthesize
an insecticide could be as problematic
as spraying a plant with a pesticide. But that
isn’t the technology’s fault.
- Create an increase in food related allergies
because the genetic engineering can trigger
allergies from alternative foods.
- Unpredictable
CONS
20 Food
21