Genetically Modified Organisms — What are they, and how are they used?
Whether in the supermarket or on produce labels, nearly everyone has seen or is familiar with the term GMOs. But what are exactly they? GMOs, abbreviated from Genetically Modified Organisms, are organisms whose genetic makeup has been altered or adjusted through various technological methods, typically to produce a certain characteristic or gene in the organism, one which would not be present through traditional production. Although genetic modification is currently utilized primarily for crops, its products and benefits have taken genetics by storm, allowing them to be implemented in microbes, animals, and potentially even humans.
Genetic modification of crops dates back thousands and thousands of years ago, when humans utilized natural methods such as selective and cross-breeding to produce plants and animals carrying more desirable traits. Knowledge in regards to genetic and hereditary processes accumulated throughout the centuries and in 1716 Thomas Fairwick successfully developed the first artificial plant hybrid: a cross of a carnation and Sweet William plant. It wasn’t until 1922, however, that the first hybrid corn crop was developed and began making a presence commercially. The discovery of changing an organism’s DNA happened initially in 1937 through radiation, and in 1973, biochemists successfully inserted the DNA of one bacterium into another, marking the start of genetic engineering. The first genetically modified organism, a tomato, was created by a company called Calgene in 1994. Primary concerns surrounding GMOs were potential human health harms stemming from differences in nutrition and potential environmental harms stemming from considerably changed interactions between crops, environments, and ecosystems overall. Much skepticism regarding GMO safety in regard to human health as well as the environment resulted in several guidelines established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It wasn’t until the 1990s that GMOs became more prominently available to consumers, and these consisted of staple crops such as corn, tomatoes, and potatoes. GMOs brought a multitude of benefits both to producers and consumers, resulting in their rapid increase in production. These benefits principally included a high yield of crops at a substantially lower price, as well as resistance to disease, faster growth, less use of pesticides, less soil erosion, better taste, and longer shelf life. Today, over 90% of corn, cotton, and soybeans in the United States are produced through genetic engineering methods, and more than 120 varieties of genetically modified crops have been regulated.
Implementations of genetic modifications have expanded from simply crops to animals as well, bringing about moral controversy to some degree. Similarly to crops, animals can be genetically modified by changing, adding, or removing DNA sequence’s in genetic makeup, typically aiming to bring about a particular characteristic or phenotype that would not be carried by a traditionally produced organism. Several experiments focusing on the genetic modification of animals have been conducted over the years, one of the most famous being Dolly the Sheep. A clone of a sheep was developed in 1996 by British scientists utilizing a method known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, entailing the transfer of a cell nucleus from an adult egg into a developing egg cell that has had its cell nucleus removed. Another well-known genetic engineering experiment was in 2002 when scientists injected mice with a jellyfish gene through a process called active transgenesis, allowing them to glow in the dark. Although not illegal, the practice of genetic engineering on animals has been frowned upon and has spurred a large debate in regard to ethics, as well as negative impacts including increased human, plant, and environmental suffering.
Apart from crops and animals, genetic engineering has been implemented in the medical field as well, paving the way for developments such as drug manufacturing, the production of cancer therapies, and gene therapy, making their way into the lives of millions globally. Genetic engineering has also been used significantly in the development of vaccines, such as the HPV and COVID-19 vaccines. The possibilities are endless; from life-saving drugs to vaccines to human-made animals and plants, genetic engineering opens the gateway to a plethora of developments that may just change the world as we know it today.
