Bioengineering

Bioengineering is the transfer of genes between species.

The genetic code is universal – this means that in any species so far identified, the same codons code for the same amino acids.

4.4.10            Discuss the potential benefits and possible harmful effects of on example of genetic modification.

Benefits

• ·       GM crops help farmers by improving food production
• ·       GM crops which produce their own pest-control substances are beneficial to the environment because fewer chemical pesticides will be needed
• ·       Using GMOs to produce rare proteins for medication or vaccines could be less costly and produce less pollution than synthesizing these proteins in laboratories
• ·       Farmers can be in more control of what crops or livestock they produce
• ·       The multinational companies who make GM plants claim they’ll enable farmers in developing nations to help reduce hunger by using pest-resistant crops or GM plants which require less water

Harmful Effects

• ·       The long term effects of GMOs in the wild are unknown. Efforts to keep GM plants under control in well-defined areas have failed and pollen from GM crops have escaped to neighbouring fields. Genes from GM plants could be integrated into wild species, giving them un unnatural advantage over other species and an ability to take over the habitat
• ·       There is a danger that the genes could cross species. It has been proven possible in laboratories, so it’s possible in nature too. Again, no one knows the consequences of genes crossing species
• ·       Crops which produce toxins to kill insects could be harmful to humans because, unlike chemical pesticides which are only applied to the outer surface, the toxins are found throughout the plant
• ·       There are risks for allergies. E.g. if someone is not allergic to natural tomatoes but is allergic to GM tomatoes, they will need to know which one they’re eating. But there is no difference in the outward appearance of the fruit and food labeling is not always clear
• ·       There are worries that large portions of the human food supply will be the property of a small number of corporations
• ·       High-tech solutions are not necessarily better than simpler solutions. Crop production could be increased by teaching farmers how to use water and natural pest-control systems more efficiently
• ·       A proliferation of genetically modified organisms may lead to a decrease in biodiversity