Martin 1
Zachary Martin
Professor John Kendall
First Year Seminar
27 May 2015
Genetically Modified Organisms: A Dangerous Science
In recent times scientific knowledge has grown rapidly, and in most cases, it is
accepted and praised by most of the human population. One area where people are
hesitant of scientific progress is the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
This is existent for many different reasons including moral ideals, fear of change, and
environmental safety. These first two ideas are mainly belief based, while the latter is
more scientific based. There is a possibility that GMOs could have negative impacts if
not used properly. There are upsides to the use of GMOs. Some of these benefits
include better quality of life, improvements in medicine, and environmental protection.
While the use of GMOs is known to have many potential negative effects, many people
who have knowledge of GMOs believe they could make a positive impact on the world.
Background
Contrary to popular belief, genetic modification is not a new idea. Humans have
been using selective breeding and artificial selection for thousands of years. This began
when groups of humans converted from hunter-gatherers, to become settled into small
agricultural communities. Agriculture it self is not natural selection, and the plants we
eat today would not exist without human innovation and the creation of agriculture. The
newer idea of genetic modification though, is the use of genetic engineering by
Martin 2
manipulation of the DNA within an organism. This technology has existed for less than
50 years.
The first use of Genetic engineering happened in 1972 when Dr. Paul Berg
combined DNA from two different viruses to make a hybrid of those viruses (Jackson,
Simons, Berg). In 1960, Dr. P.G. Katsoyannis, a scientist at the University of Pittsburgh,
discovered the genetic makeup of insulin. Within two years of his discovery, he was
able to artificially reproduce the insulin. This was the first time that human insulin was
produced synthetically within a lab. This breakthrough in science had a widely positive
reaction because of the medical upside it had. The ability to produce “human” insulin
allowed the product to be more widely available and cost effective. Before this the only
way to make insulin was to extract it from the pancreas of an animal. After extraction the
insulin still needed to be altered before it could be used within a human body (Stretton).
In 1976, Genentech Inc. became the first company to mass-produce a genetically
engineered product for human use. This product was insulin used to treat type I and II
diabetes. After years of strict testing and research to meet government regulation, this
insulin was made available for sale in 1982. This made the synthetic insulin the first
genetically engineered product available for purchase. Another genetically engineered
product became available for commercial purchase about 12 years later, but this
product was not nearly as successful as its predecessor. This product was the Flavr
Savr tomato. The Flavr Savr tomato was engineered so the enzyme which causes a
tomato to become soft and rot, could no longer be produced by the plant. Though this
was a significant breakthrough in science, the general public was not comfortable with
Martin 3
their food being engineered artificially, fearing that this would have a negative effect on
their health. After only three years, the Flavr Savr tomato was no longer available for
sale. As Calgene, the company that created the Flavr Savr tomato was no longer able
to afford to make its breakthrough product it soon became bankrupt. Once this
happened, Monsanto, who is known for being the “GMO giant,” purchased Calgene
(Colbert).
Environmental Protection
The idea of environmental protection as it pertains to GMO usage is highly
debated between those within the scientific community. Many scientists believe that
GMOs have a negative effect on the environment and will continue into in the future,
while many others would argue that GMOs have the potential to make a positive impact
on the future environment.
An example of a positive impact is the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (bT), a
bacterium inserted into the DNA of plants. Bacillus thuringiensis causes the plant to
produce a protein called Cry1A. This protein makes the plant deathly toxic to many
pests that interfere with the growing of the plant. When it comes to toxicity though,
vinegar, which is commonly used as a “green” herbicide by organic farmers, as well as
in gardens, is more than twice as toxic as bT (Aghoram). The use of bT and Cry1A is
approved for use by organic farmers to be sprayed on their plants in the case of insect
infestation. This is would be worse environmentally because of the possible unintended
spread of pesticide compared to having the pesticide within the plant itself.
Martin 4
Because of these different pesticides used in today’s agriculture, as one would
expect, there are negative consequences. One consequence of pesticide usage is the
death and potential extinction of many different creatures that would be considered
pests by agricultural standards. An example of this is the declining population of
monarch butterflies in mid-western states. Because the bT gene is produced by all parts
of the plant, including its pollen. This pollen is then spread to other plants near it;
specifically in this case, it is spread to the milkweed plant. The milkweed plant is the
main food source for monarch butterflies. According to a joint study done by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Iowa State University, the population of
monarch butterflies living near bT corn fields around Ames, Iowa have decreased by
more than twenty five percent since the introduction of bT corn (“Study”). Many
scientists believe that this type of harmful impact could happen to other species that eat
bT plants or other GM crops that contain genetic pesticides (Katiraee).
An even more worrisome impact of this type of pesticide use is the possibility of
“super-pests” being created. This could happen if the weeds that the sprayed herbicides
are meant to kill, or the insects that are targeted by insecticides within the plants, were
able to mutate, allowing the pests to survive the pesticides meant to kill them. If this
were to happen, more pesticides would be needed to kill these pests. In theory, this
would create “a never-ending cycle” of more harmful products that would be introduced
into the environment (Weber).
Medical Usage
Martin 5
One area involving GMOs that many people do not morally agree with is the
usage within the human body. This idea is an impact of religious belief that when
genetic engineering is used within humans, the people doing the genetic engineering
are “playing God.” Another type of medical use of GMOs is that of pharmaceuticals
used to treat illness and disease. This usage of GMOs in medicine is more widely
accepted than other forms of medical use.
Pharmaceuticals and Medicine
Through the use of genetic modification in many types of organisms, the
production of complex vaccines and other pharmaceuticals has been revolutionized,
and is still continuing to happen. In the way GMOs are used in the production of
