For centuries humans have been using hybridization to create better plants. ... Through biotechnology scientists are able to insert a specific gene or genes into a plant and give it new advantageous characteristics. ... "All of the proteins that have been placed into foods through the tools of biotechnology that are on the market are non-toxic, rapidly digestible, and do not have the characteristics of proteins known to cause allergies."" says Commissioner Jane E. ... USDA's animal and plant health inspection service oversees the agricultural environmental safety of planting and field te...

• Word Count: 2153
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It is possible to transform almost all the plants cultivated by man. Genetic modification can efficiently add or change a gene in a plant to give the plant a new or improved characteristic e.g. resistance to drought or enhanced nutritional properties. ... The results were compiled from various studies of growth, blood, tissue, and other characteristics in rats and mice. ... Corn borers damage the leaves and stalks of corn plants. ... In 1996, farmers planted 1.7 million hectares of the crops. ...

• Word Count: 1396
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• Has Bibliography

Plants are huge contributing factors in the environment because they are a source of food to all species. ... GMO's are plants or animals that have been genetically altered with the DNA from bacteria, viruses, chemicals and other plants and animals. ... The ring spot virus was killing the plant and sickening those who ate the fruits. ... So while the DNA changes made to a plant may not always be effective, it is possible that the characteristics that make it toxic will remain. ... The reason for this is that the pollen from GMO plants fly over and ends up on non GMO plants, turning those...

• Word Count: 1362
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• Has Bibliography

By modifying the genes, scientists can alter the characteristics of an organism. ... For example, plant geneticists can isolate the gene responsible for draught tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. ... Genes can also be transferred from non-plant organisms to plant organisms. ... Need something Plant biologists are currently working on creating plants that would be resistant to many viruses and bacteria. ... The EPA evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluated whether the plant is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat. ...

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It would involve creating plants with unintended gene combinations. One great potential danger was GM wild plants gaining resistance to insect pests by cross-pollination. ... In most case, the benefit of the GM food does not belong to the farmers who plant the GM food on their own land. ... And they have their own choice to the crop what they will plant. here i mean GM crops or non-GM crops. ... Genetically modified foods (GM foods or GMF) offer a way to quickly improve crop characteristics such as yield, pest resistance, or herbicide tolerance, often to a degree not possible with tradi...

• Word Count: 1627
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Genetic modification allows scientists to create characteristics and traits in organisms that could not naturally occur. All genetically engineered foods created so far are derived from genetically engineered plants. ... " Essentially, genetically modified food is the test tube baby of the plant world. Scientists are able to splice genes and manipulate DNA to create a plant with the desired attributes. ... Fortunately, the plant was not put into production (119). ...

• Word Count: 1697
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These experimental combinations of genes from different species that cannot occur in nature are modified in the laboratory to enhance characteristics such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content which has been a hot topic ever since their introduction in 1980. ... Similarly, bacteria-resistant plants often lead to a bacterium that evolves and becomes more difficult to fight. The very toxins that GMO plants produce to fight insects and diseases also take a toll on some on the organisms that are not destroying plants such as butterflies, bees and caterpillars (Dill)...

• Word Count: 1303
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Genetic engineering can be used to produce traits that can enhance the nutritional value of plant crops. ... Each developer is required to a safety assessment that identifies and accesses new genetic traits, "whether any new material in food made from the genetically engineered plant could be toxic or allergenic when eaten, and a comparison of the levels of nutrients in the genetically engineered plant to traditionally bred plants "(Genetically Engineered Foods). ... The new DNA is just used to express a specific characteristic or trait if it is a known food allergen then it must be tested f...

• Word Count: 2164
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

" (Key, Ma, and Drake 292) In 2012, the American Association for the Advancement of Science declared that "foods containing ingredients from genetically modified (GM) crops pose no greater risk than the same foods made from crops modified by conventional plant breeding techniques." ... Apart from this, crops with GM characteristics have been tested more than any other agricultural products in the history of agriculture with the results also showing no evidence of harm to human beings or animals. ... Now with GM technology, we can take the most advantage of some deserted or desolate areas ...

• Word Count: 1693
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Virtually half soybeans in the United States are GM to produce a chemical that makes plants invulnerable to weeding-killing sprays. ... Due to the advancements in genetics scientists gained the ability to alter plants and animals by using recombinant DNA techniques, or by combining two different molecules of DNA. ... With rising technology GM animals and plants could be used to make vaccines, drugs, hormones, and other useful substances needed today to help the sick. ... Farmers have used selection and hybridization techniques to harvest plants and animals with preferred traits, but they ...

• Word Count: 1500
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

China alone will plant over a million acres of genetically modified cotton. ... That means the plants genes have been altered to make crops easier to grow and more pest resistant. Seed developers are able to target a single plant trait without the unintended characteristics that may occur with traditional breeding methods. ... One fact is clear though, whether farmers ponder the decision of planting transgenic crops or consumers debate over purchasing select food items, bringing GM food to the American table is creating anticipation of positive benefits--better nutritional, pharmacological, an...

• Word Count: 1385
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate