Genetically modified foods essay idea

Genetically modified foods essay idea

Apr 26,  · According to Trish Davidson, author of Genetically Modified Food, “the purpose of genetic modification is to create plants that are in some way superior to the plant breeds currently being used” (Davidson, GMF) Essays on Genetically Modified Food. Genetically modified (GM) foods are ingredients obtained from such type of organism which has been modified in terms of genes. The introduction of sophisticated genetic technology particularly do this. This genetic technology is extremely elegant compared to mutagenesis (mutation breeding), in which case the organism is Genetically Engineered Foods: A Good Idea For Society. Words5 Pages. Genetically engineered foods have been a controversial topic for a long time, splitting society into two sides, for genetic engineering or against it. Some people think that genetically engineering our food greatly improves our food supply quality and quantity, while others may think that genetic

Are genetically modified foods bad for the environment? - Answers

Genetically modified organisms GMOs have met with enormous public opposition over the past two decades, genetically modified foods essay idea. Many people believe that GMOs are bad for their health — even poisonous — and that they damage the environment.

This is in spite of overwhelming scientific evidence that proves that GMOs are safe to eatand that they bring environmental benefits by making agriculture more sustainable. Why is there such a discrepancy between what the science tells us about GMOs, and what people genetically modified foods essay idea To be sure, some concerns, such as herbicide resistance in weeds and genetically modified foods essay idea involvement of multinationals, are not without basis, but they are not specific to GMOs.

Hence, another question we need to answer is why these arguments become more salient in the context of GMOs, genetically modified foods essay idea. I recently published a paperwith a group of Belgian biotechnologists and philosophers from Ghent University, arguing that negative representations of GMOs are widespread and compelling because they are intuitively appealing. By tapping into intuitions and emotions that mostly work under the radar of conscious awareness, but are constituent of any normally functioning human mind, such representations become easy to think.

They capture our attention, they are easily processed and remembered and thus stand a greater chance of being transmitted and becoming popular, even if they are untrue. Thus, many people oppose GMOs, genetically modified foods essay idea, genetically modified foods essay idea part, because it just makes sense that they would pose a threat.

As such, when a gene is transferred between two distantly related species, people are likely to believe that this process will cause characteristics typical of the source organism to emerge in the recipient. For example, in an opinion survey in the United States, more than half of respondents said that a tomato modified with fish DNA would taste like fish of course, it would not.

Essentialism clearly plays a role in public attitudes towards GMOs. Anti-GMO organizations, such as NGOs, exploit these intuitions by publishing images of tomatoes with fish tails or by telling the public that companies modify corn with scorpion DNA to make crispier cereals. They render us vulnerable to the idea that purely natural phenomena exist or happen for a purpose that is intended by some agent. The emotion probably evolvedat least in part, as a pathogen avoidance mechanism, preventing the body from consuming or touching harmful substances.

We feel repelled by things that possibly contain or indicate the presence of pathogens such as bodily fluids, rotten meat, and maggots. This would explain why disgust operates on a hair trigger: it is better to forego an edible meal under the misguided assumption that it is contaminated, than to consume sickening, or even lethal, food that is erroneously thought to be safe.

Hence, disgust can be elicited by completely innocuous food. GMOs probably trigger disgust because people view genetic modification as a contamination. The effect is enforced when the introduced DNA comes from a species that is generally deemed disgusting, such as rats or cockroaches.

However, DNA genetically modified foods essay idea DNA, whatever its source. The impact of disgust explains why people feel more averse towards GM food than other GM applications, such as GM medicine. Once disgust is elicited, genetically modified foods essay idea, the argument that GMOs cause cancer or sterility, or that genetically modified foods essay idea will contaminate the environment, becomes very convincing and is often used.

Disgust also affects moral judgments, leading people to condemn everyone who is involved with the development and commercialization of GM products. Because people have no conscious access to the emotional source of their judgments, they consequently look for arguments to rationalize them. Our cognitive analysis is not intended to debunk every anti-GMO claim a priori. A particular GM application may have unwanted effects, which can also be the case with a product of organic or conventional farming.

The risks and benefits should be assessed on a case-to-case basis, regardless of the process. The current applications have been proven to be safe. One may take issue with the involvement of multinationals or be concerned about herbicide resistance, but these issues have to do with how GM technology is sometimes applied and certainly do not warrant resistance to the technology and to GMOs in general.

The emotional and intuitive basis of anti-GMO sentiments however prevents people from making these distinctions. Because the mind is prone to distorting or rejecting scientific information in favour of more intuitive beliefs, simply transmitting the facts will not necessarily persuade people of the safety, or benefits, of GMOs, especially if people have been subjected to emotive, anti-GMO propaganda.

In the long run, education starting from a young age and specifically targeted at tackling common misconceptions might immunize the population against unsubstantiated anti-GMO messages. Other concerns can be addressed and discussed in the wider context of agricultural practices and the place of science and technology in society. Given the benefits and promises of GM technology, such a change is much needed. Are you a scientist who specializes in neuroscience, cognitive science, or psychology?

And have you genetically modified foods essay idea a recent peer-reviewed paper that you would like to write about?

Please send suggestions to Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. Gareth, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, is the series editor of Best American Infographics and can be reached at garethideas AT gmail. com or Twitter garethideas. Stefaan Blancke is a philosopher at Ghent University and co-editor of Creationism in Europe Johns Hopkins UP, His interests include pseudoscience and the way it reflects underlying genetically modified foods essay idea. He has also published on the history of science, public understanding of science and science education, often from evolutionary and cognitive perspectives.

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Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering \u0026 Our Food

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Genetically Modified Food Essays: Examples, Topics, Titles, & Outlines

Genetically Engineered Foods: A Good Idea For Society. Words5 Pages. Genetically engineered foods have been a controversial topic for a long time, splitting society into two sides, for genetic engineering or against it. Some people think that genetically engineering our food greatly improves our food supply quality and quantity, while others may think that genetic Jun 17,  · Genetically Modified Food There Has. Words: Length: 7 Pages Document Type: Research Paper Paper #: Read Full Paper. On a biological level, consumption of genetically modified foods means the potential for "pleiotropic and insertional effects," Dona explains on page Genetically modified foods are created by taking genes from plants and animals and inserting into our food to alter the genetic engineering. In , GMO’s were first introduced when a plant was modified from antibiotic resistant tobacco. In , genetically modifying food was approved by the FDA and the. Read More