Are GMOs Good or Bad?

written by 임가빈 (Grade11)

What is a GMO?

 I think many people have heard or seen GMOs in supermarts, or on the Internet. However, most of the people don’t know what What exactly is a GMO. A GMO is an organism whose genome has been engineered in the laboratory in order to favour the expression of desired physiological traits or the generation of desired biological products. The genetic manipulation process can be divided into two main categories.

 The first method is to modify the genes of the existing breed. In this case, a trait of a specific gene of the organism is maximized so that they can more effectively prevent themselves from harmful diseases and  easily adapt to unusual environment.

 The second method is to combine genes from different species. Even though a natural genetic exchange between two species is not possible, through gene-inserting method, new characteristics can be given to them.

Selective Breeding vs GMO

 Many people dont know about difference between selective breeding and GMOs. They often confuse those two things in to same thing. Actually, what we can see more commonly around us is the former. Nearly all the fruits and vegetables found in local markets would not occur naturally. In fact, their characteristics are formed because of human intervention that began thousands of years ago. Humans created the vast majority of crop species by using traditional breeding practices on naturally-occurring, wild plants. These practices rely upon selective breeding (artificial selection). People artificially reproduced individuals with survival-friendly traits, and as a result, the incidence of good individuals increased significantly over generations. However, this method takes too much time. On the other hand, if directly alter an organisms DNA , people can produce the desired crops more rapidly than selective breeding.

GMOs in agriculture

 GMOs have brought great help to people in the agricultural sector. Engineered crops can dramatically increase per area crop yields and, in some cases, they also can reduce the use of chemical insecticides which are harful for humans’ health. The best example of this is Bt toxin. The application of wide-spectrum insecticides declined in many areas growing plants, such as potatoes, cotton, and corn, that were endowed with a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which produces a natural insecticide called Bt toxin. Field studies conducted in India in which Bt cotton was compared with non-Bt cotton demonstrated a 30–80 percent increase in yield from the GM crop. This increase was attributed to marked improvement in the GM plants’ ability to overcome bollworm infestation. Not only this, engineered crops also can contain higher amounts of specific nutrients

 However, questions about the safety of GMO crops are unresolved, and research on them is still ongoing. In addition, some studies have raised concerns that GMO crops may harm human health. Therefore, GMOs are still controversial.

Conclusion

GMO technology offers powerful solutions to some of humanity’s greatest challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, and disease prevention. However, fully harnessing its potential requires ongoing evaluation of its safety and ethics, as well as transparent communication with the public. As genetic modification becomes less of a choice and more of a reality, what we need is not blind support or opposition, but a balanced, science-based understanding and a responsible approach to its use.