know so many people who are anti-GMO, but I've
always considered that to be a misunderstanding of a technology that's been
around since the dawn of agriculture.....
In this TEDs talk, Dr. Pamela Ronald, Plant Geneticist,
shows us why genetic modification isn't necessarily hostile to traditional
(even organic) farming. If time permits, we will be watching this TEDs talk in
class. It is also located in your "GMOs and Feeding the World
"Assignment. (Attached below).
Attachments area
GMOs and Feeding the
World
"The controversy surrounding genetically
modified organisms has real importance for society, there are complex
scientific and logical issues to sort through, and the topic is rife with
misinformation and motivated reasoning……" -Dr.
Novella, academic neurologist; Yale University School of Medicine
Objectives:
1.
Journey around the world and explore
the use of GMOs and their application for feeding the world.….
2.
Defend your belief on the following: Are GMOs
a good thing for society or are we heading into dangerous territory in their
use?
Directions: Please respond with a different color of ink and include your
original questions.
1. You will be asked to review the background information I have provided
and visit the various articles and videos for each question.
2. You will then respond to the questions following the attached websites.
3.
Finally, you will be asked to find
alternate evidence and defend YOUR views on the issue.
4.
Total point value: 70
points
What are the ethical concerns regarding GMOs in the food industry?
Remember, the first step in ethical problem
solving and policy decision making involves ascertaining the facts. Facts by themselves, however, only tell us what is; they do not
tell us what ought to be. Resolving an ethical issue also requires an
appeal to values. Before tackling the
GMO debate, let’s review the five different approaches philosophers have
developed to deal with moral
issues. (use these in defending your
views for GMOs on the final question)
1.
Utilitarian Approach:
What benefits and what harms will each course of action produce, and
which alternative will lead to the best overall consequences?
2.
Rights Approach:
What moral rights do the affected parties have, and which course of action
best respects those rights?
3.
Fairness or Justice
Approach: Which course of action treats everyone the same, except where there is a
morally justifiable reason not to, and does not show favoritism or
discrimination?
4.
Common Good Approach:
Which course of action advances the common good?
5.
Virtue Approach:
Which course of action develops moral virtues?
Solution
GMOs and Feeding the
World
"The
controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms has real importance for
society, there are complex scientific and logical issues to sort through, and
the topic is rife with misinformation and motivated reasoning……" -Dr. Novella,
academic neurologist; Yale University School of Medicine
Objectives:
3. Journey around the world and
explore the use of GMOs and their application for feeding the world.….
4. Defend your belief on the following: Are GMOs
a good thing for society or are we heading into dangerous territory in their
use?
Directions: Please respond with a
different color of ink and include your original questions.
5.
You
will be asked to review the background information I have provided and visit
the various articles and videos for each question.
6.
You
will then respond to the questions following the attached websites.
7. Finally, you will be asked to find
alternate evidence and defend YOUR views on the issue.
8.
Total point value: 70 points
What are the ethical concerns
regarding GMOs in the food industry?
Remember, the first step in ethical problem solving and policy decision
making involves ascertaining the facts.
Facts
by themselves, however, only tell us what is; they do not tell us what ought
to be. Resolving an ethical issue also requires an appeal to values. Before tackling the GMO debate, let’s review
the five different approaches philosophers have developed to deal with moral
issues. (use these in defending your
views for GMOs on the final question)
6. Utilitarian Approach: What benefits and what harms will
each course of action produce, and which alternative will lead to the best
overall consequences?
7. Rights Approach: What moral rights do the affected
parties have, and which course of action best respects those rights?
8. Fairness or Justice Approach: Which course of action treats
everyone the same, except where there is a morally justifiable reason not to,
and does not show favouritism or discrimination?
9. Common Good Approach: Which course of action advances the
common good?
10. Virtue Approach: Which course of action develops
moral virtues?
(1) The
GMO Controversy:
"GMO
critics despise corporate control and greed, and fear the unnatural, while GMO
advocates see this technology as an example of the triumph of human ingenuity
and science"
“God (Nature in my
view) makes all things good; man meddles with them and they become evil…"
"― Jean-Jacques
Rousseau; philosopher, 1770
15 points; each
question is worth 1 point unless otherwise noted – all T/F .5 point-
26. Beliefs
concerning GMOs tend to be dominated by two opposing narratives: What are they?
Answer:
There are two narratives about GMOs: one is opposing while other is advocating.
The critics say that the GMOs can harm our natural food verities. However, its
advocates consider it a blessing for the science that can revolutionize our
food security issues.
27. GMO
advocates point out that pretty much all food that is consumed by humans has
already been extensively modified by human activity.
Answer:
True
28. What
was corn cultivated from? (.5 point)
Answer:
About 7000 years ago, corn was cultivated from a wild grass called teosinte.
29. Does
cultivation use a combination of what two basic processes to create countless
varieties of common plants?
Answer:
The two basic process i.e. artificial selection and natural selection can be
used to produce enormous verities of common plants.
30. What
is artificial selection? (.5 point)
Answer:
Artificial section is the production of plants of desired traits by
intentionally crossing of two plants with different traits.
31. What is cross-pollination? (.5 point)
Answer:
The process in which pollen grains from different flower fertilize the other
plant. For example, in the cotton field, the pollen grains a plant can be
transmitted from one plant to other plant and cause its pollination. In this
way, the traits of offspring can be different from the parent plant.
32. Orange
carrots are not the result of a mutation
Answer: False
33. What
is mutation breeding?
Answer:
Mutation breeding is done when seeds or other germination material is subjected
to some chemicals or radiations. In result, the mutation occurs and the new
traits in the offspring are developed.
34. How many mutagenic plant varietals were released between 1930
and 2007? (.5 point)
Answer:
From 1930 to 2014, about more than 3200 mutagenic plant varieties
were developed. The 70% of these varieties have been developed from the direct
mutation of a plant while other 30% has been obtained from the mutation of
their progenies.
35. What
are the two basic types of GMOs? (.5 point)
Answer:
Two types of GMOs are: one that is engineered to resist insects and others are
developed to tolerate the herbicides.
36. What is the difference between the two types of GMOs? (.5
point)
Answer:
There is two types of GMOs i.e. insect resisting plants and the herbicide
tolerating plants. In insect resisting plant, the gene from bacteria (Bacillus
thuringiensis) that produce insecticidal protein. The herbicide resistance
plants are developed by introducing genes that can degrade glyphosate—a
chemical in herbicide.
37. What are the four types of GM plants currently approved for
use?
Answer:
·
Corn
·
Soybean
·
Canola
·
Plum
38. Contamination
of genes from other kingdoms occurs, even in nature?
Answer: True
39. According
to the American Association for the Advancement of science, GM crops are the most
extensively tested crops ever added to our food supply.
Answer: True
40. According to the article, studies comparing GM and non-GM potatoes, soy,
rice, corn and triticale found that the GM and their non-GM counterparts are
NOT nutritionally equivalent.”
Answer: False
41. The
National Academies of Science states that
“To date, no adverse health effects attributed to genetic engineering have been
documented in the human population.”
Answer: True
42. What
does the World Health Organization say about GM foods? (.5 point)
Answer:
According to the WHO website, the GMOs are being introduced in the food supply
as the genes of the plants are being modified to resist the disease. Mostly,
the GMOs are the plant that we are using as food. However, in future,
microorganisms can be engineered for food production.
43. Plants that are produced through hybridization, which can
chaotically mix in hundreds of genes, and plants resulting from mutagenic
breeding do not require the same safety testing currently required of GMOs.
Answer: False
44. According to the
article, GM crops with insect
and herbicide resistance can be useful and even protect the environment, but
they have to be used as part of what type of strategy?
Answer:
These must be introduced to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. In this way,
the harmful chemical will not leak out in our environment. It is also,
preferably, can be used to protect our ecosystem and biodiversity because
chemical pesticides kill beneficial insects as well.
45. What are the three major seed companies? (.5 point)
Answer:
· Monsanto
· DuPont
· Syngenta
46. What are some of the claims made against Monsanto that,
according to the article, are not true? (.5 point)
Answer:
The claim was made that the Monsanto has filed a case against the Indian
farmers. But, according to the articles that are not true. They had sued against
those farmers who had tried to steal their seeds
According
to the article, the big seed companies have overhyped their own products and
encouraged an overreliance on their GMOs as a single solution to farming’s
complex issues.
Answer: True
47. Why are Monocultures counterproductive? (.5 point)
Answer: Monoculture
farming produces same type of offspring that are genetically identical as well.
Such plants cannot sustain any disease or any harsh environmental changes. The
monoculture also does not bring any mutation that can be proved, later, useful
for survival of the plants.
48. According to the article, Seed companies should be encouraged
to not just make one variety with a favorable trait, but do what?
Answer: They must
develop different varieties of the same trait as, in case, one variety cannot
sustain the climate change or any pest attack. The mutations in pest can make
them capable to harm the same variety. Hence, the development of multiple
varieties is encouraged.
49. According to the article, Genetic modification is a powerful
technology, and its impact will depend entirely on what?
Answer: According to the article, its impact will entirely depend on
how it is used.
(2) Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?
"On
one hand, you have the proponents who are talking about the benefits of genetic
engineering in terms of science. On the
other, you have people in butterfly costumes."
10 points total: each question is worth 1 point unless otherwise
noted.
13.
England's Prince of Whales claims that
GMOs do what?
Answer:
He claimed that GMOs will takes human in a new kingdom that will purely belong
to God.
14.
Where does the Catholic church
stand with regard to GMOs?
Answer: The church is
reluctant to engineer human genome but they are agreed to modify the genome of
animals and plants.
15.
Why does the author compare GMOs to
microwaves and DDT? (.5 point)
Answer:
The concerns of the people, in the past, were rising about the GMOs. The public
understanding of the GMOs is as was toward the DDT and microwaves. The DDT is
chemical used, in past, as pesticide and it proved as one of the causes of
cancer.
16.
What type of harm has resulted in
humans as a result of ingesting GMOs?
Answer: No medical
report has appeared that describe any harmful health effect due to the use of
the GMOs.
17.
What is the "Terminator
gene" and what is the controversy surrounding it? (.5 point)
Answer:
The terminator genes are responsible for halting the germination of the seeds.
The claims had been made that the terminator genes are being used by seed
companies to prevent the germination of seed by the farmers in next growing
seeds. In this way, the company can force farmers to purchase new seeds.
18.
Why are the risks of GMO being
defined by those who are frightened?
Answer:
It is because of the deceptive behaviors of the market in past
19.
How long have GMOs been on the
market here in the United States without consumer knowledge? (5 point)
Answer:
The consumers in the USA are using GMOs without any knowledge since the last
ten years. The different plants were grown in the USA as GMOs i.e. soybean. The
processed products of soybean are common in the USA. In this way, the GMOs are
being consumed without any warning to the public.
20.
Under what conditions does the Food
and Drug Administration require the labelling of Genetically modified foods?
(.5 point)
Answer:
The FDA do not require any labelling that indicates the presence of GMOs in raw
or processed food. In USA, for building more trust, labelling must be done so
that consumer can experience that there no harmful effect of consuming GMO.
21.
What might increase the consumer's
trust in the use of GMOs?
Answer:
Food and Drug Administration Authority must be strict toward the labelling of
GMO food. Customers will be more satisfied when they will realize zero harmful
effects of GMOs.
22.
The United States has the Food and
Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency to regulate food
safety. Who regulates food safety in Europe?
Answer:
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) regulates the food in Europe.
23.
What disease occurred in Europe
that ultimately put the blame on farmers and, according to the authors, led to
a heightened fear of the food industry by Europeans?
Answer:
The disease was the mad cow and it had built a fear among the Europeans if
something is out of the box in food industry.
24.
What is consequentialism theory?
Answer:
This theory is defined as the class which describes the normative ethical
theories. By this theory, a morally correct decision is made by a cost-benefit
analysis of an action's consequences.
(3) Technologies behind the controversy
"The crops we see today are
vastly different from those plants that existed at the dawn of civilization
Since the beginning of agriculture farmers and gardeners have altered the
genetic codes of plants and animals even if they were not aware of it at the
time. …".
5 points total. Each question is worth 2
points unless otherwise noted
4. What
is the difference between cross-breeding and transgenic plants?
Answer:
The plants that are produced by crossing of different plants like the breeding
of two different plant or animals while the plants that contain any foreign
genes or genetically engineered by recombinant DNA techniques are called
transgenic plants.
5. Where
did the Modified Bacterium approach to gene insertion come from?
Answer:
It came from the idea that the plasmid of the bacteria can be used to transfer
the genes from one plant to another.
6. How
does a gene gun work? (1 point)
Answer:
It is a kind of device that used transfect with foreign DNA. The heavy metal is
coated with DNA microparticles and the gene gun is used to push this complex in
the cell. In this, way the gene can be transferred.
(4) The Farmer's perspective: Evolution, BT
Corn Genes and Bug Genes
85%
of the foods we eat come from large farms…. Farmers want to know: " Can
Monsanto's genetic technology help get rid of a big pest: the European Corn borer caterpillar?"
5 points
total: Each question below is worth 1 point
6. How
specific can farmers get with conventional pesticide spraying techniques?
Answer:
Farmers cannot get good results, in regards to specificity, as the pesticides
can easily disperse in the air and can spread on their non-targets for example
to other crops.
7. Why
would a farmer turn to GE crops for controlling insects?
Answer:
The conventional pesticides are not target specific and can cause harms to the
environment and human health, as well.
8. Is
the BT toxin harmful to humans? Is it harmful to most other insects?
Answer: No, BT toxin is not harmful to
humans but it is target-specific and can halt the majority of pests from
harming the crops.
9. What
did the Environmental protection agency mandate in order to deal with the issue
of resistant pests?
Answer: It’s the obligation of the EPA
to regulate the chemicals being used as pesticides. These chemicals must not be
harmful to the environment and biodiversity.
10. Who
monitors whether or not the farmers are laying aside land for this area of
refuge for insects?
Answer: Environmental protection agency
monitors the area that is specified for the insects.
(5) Straight Talk on Genetically Modified
Organisms
"label claims are misleading
because they falsely imply that the food made without GE ingredients is somehow
safer than or superior to the same product made with GE ingredients. "
5 points total
8.
What kind of traits has been
engineered into agricultural crops? (1 point)
Answer:
Two types of traits have been introduced:
·
Resistance against insects
·
Tolerance against herbicides.
9.
The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration, the National Academy of Sciences and the European Food Safety
Agency all agree that GMOs are safe to eat.
Answer: True
10.
How can Americans avoid eating GM
products? (.5 point)
Answer:
American are eating GMOs as they are eating it without any warnings since last
decade. The Food and Drug Administration does not have instructed food
organizations to label the food about the GMOs. On the other hand, according to
the National Organic Standard the farmers should shop the organic
products which are a great way to avoid the GM products.
11.
Which U.S agencies regulate GE
crops? (.5 point)
Answer:
Food and Drug Administration
12.
Which agencies regulate the
environmental safety of GE crops? (.5 point)
Answer:
Environmental protection agency works for the safety of the GE crops because
their mission is to protect human and environmental health.
13.
According to the article, the EPA
needs to ensure that farmers comply with refuge requirements. What are these?
Answer:
Farms must avoid spraying chemicals in those areas that are specified for the
insect refuge.
14.
What precautions are being taken
related to the creation of new allergies through GM products?
Answer:
After eating GMOs, there must a test to confirm any harmful immune response of
the body. The reactions of the immune system can be the allergy and that is
when the body recognize any GMO unknown protein.
(6) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
"An ecosystem, you can
always intervene and change something in it, but there's no way of knowing what
all the downstream effects will be …" - Dr. Richard Lewontin, Professor of
Genetics, Harvard University
(5 points total)
3.
Describe five pros of GM technology
related to agricultural production, health and the environment.
Answer:
(1) Can
produce resistance plants
(2) Can
reduce environmental risks.
(3) Improve
the health
(4) Less
toxic food
a. Improve
nutritional quality
4.
Describe five cons of GM technology
related to health, the environment and socio-economic factors.
Answer:
a. Seed
development takes time
b. Costly
c. Can
cause allergy
d. Require
intensive research
e. Require
public acceptance
(7) The case for engineering our food
(10
points: all questions are worth 1 point unless otherwise noted, We may be
viewing portions of this TEDs talk in class if time permits)
Image:https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/sites/default/files/Pamela_Ronald_and_Raoul_Adamchak_on_the_UC_Davis_certified_organic_farm_hero.jpg
Video #3 (17 minutes) https://www.ted.com/talks/pamela_ronald_the_case_for_engineering_our_food?language=en
Pamela Ronald studies the genes that make
plants more resistant to disease and stress. In an eye-opening talk, she
describes her decade-long quest to isolate a gene that allows rice to survive
prolonged flooding. She shows how the genetic improvement of seeds saved the
Hawaiian papaya crop in the 1990s — and makes the case that modern genetics is
sometimes the most effective method to advance sustainable agriculture and
enhance food security for our planet’s growing population. In this TEDs talk, Dr Ronald also shows us why
genetic modification isn't necessarily hostile to traditional (even organic)
farming.
“
I know so many people who are anti-GMO, but I've always considered that to be a
misunderstanding of a technology that's been around since the dawn of
agriculture.....”
Directions:
view the attached TEDs talk (above) Complete the following questions:
8. Genetic
modification is not new; virtually everything we eat has been genetically
modified in some manner.
Answer:
True
9. The
rice in the cereal that many of us fed our babies was developed by what
process? )2 points)
Answer:
1. It
was developed by natural selection
2. Made
from the white rice
3. It
fortified with synthetically produced vitamins like iron, Folic Acid, and
Ascorbic acid.
4. There
are also some manufacturers who offered the baby cereals with the brown rice.
10. Why
were over 70 million rice farmers in developing countries having trouble
growing rice? (2 points)
Answer: Over the 70 million rice
farmers all around the world had difficulty to produce the rice because of
flood and that farmers were living on the less than $2 for their living. On the
other hand, rice can grow well in the standing water, but the rice crop dies
because they submerged after 2-3 days.
11. If
you bite into organic conventional papaya that is infected with the ringspot
virus you will be chewing on tenfold more viral protein than the “vaccinated”
genetically modified papaya. True or false?
Answer:
True
12. In
less developed countries, 500,000 children go blind every year because of a
lack of what vitamin?
Answer:
500,000 children go blind because of the deficiency of Vitamin A. Not only this
more than half will die especially in underdeveloped countries.
13. After
20 years of careful study and rigorous peer review by thousands of independent
scientists, every major scientific organization in the world has concluded that
the crops currently on the market are safe to eat and that the process of
genetic engineering is no riskier than older methods of genetic modification.
True or false?
Answer:
True
14.
According to Pamela Roland in “The Case
for Engineering our Food”, instead of worrying about the genes in our food, we
must focus on what? (2 points)
Answer: She stated that instead of
worrying about the genes in the food the farmers and others need to focus on
the Food Innovation
(8) Viewing the issue
from all angles: (15 points)
4.
Search
the internet for another TEDs talk or video that present views opposing those
of Dr Panela Ronald (in
“The Case for Engineering Food” above).
5. Summarize the key points of the
video you attached and oppositions to GMOs (5 points)
Answer:
The lecture of the professor Stefan Jansson in the above video explained that
uses of the genetic engineering in the plants. Although they do have great
benefits as it brings the food variety in all over the world. On the other
hand, the farmers also get benefits from genetic engineering.
In
this video, the professor explained the difference between the GM plant and
Non-GM plants and hoe the advance technology and innovation in the industry of
Biology has misguided that concept of differences. He stated that the genome
added plants with no mixture of foreign DNA are not in the definition of the GM
plants.
According to his ideas there is no need to
incorporate the DNA of one plant to another for the new version. He also
described that there are some disadvantages mainly about the mutation of DNA
which can cause serious illness or disease to those who eats them. The human
body must have to avoid touching to the harmful substance. If anyone wants to
support the idea of the genetic engineering that he/she must carefully research
the content because GMO can be great tool in coming future to save the
biosphere, stated by professor.
6.
Based on the pros
and cons, where do YOU stand on the issue of GMOs? (7 points)
Answer:
I agreed with the concept of Dr Pamela Ronald, that nowadays the scientists need
to focus on the food innovation as this innovation will help in the prevention
of the hunger especially to those areas where the farmers are living with less
than $2 for their living. Although, I also agree on the disadvantages of the
genetic engineering through which one can anticipate that the genetically
engineered farms are reducing the use of the organic food but If I look the
other perspective than it provides the great idea about the food innovation
which can save the environment and human health in the future.
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