For my blog post, I want to elaborate on the topic of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), in addition to what I previously posted. There seems to be popular belief that GMOs are a “necessary evil” but I think that is just a cop-out. We have the choice to change our behavior; it is just a matter of if we want to work harder or take the easy way out.
While I still stand firm in my belief that the genetic alteration by human hands to plants, or any other living organism for that matter, has more detrimental effects to the future of humankind and the environment than there are benefits. I have learned an important lesson from our discussions in class and around campus. The controversy behind genetic engineering is much larger than just the potential health and safety hazards created or the possible adverse environmental concerns. Under fire is the question of authority. Should we, as humans, have control over what is normally left up to nature? Are we attempting to assume the role of God without understanding the consequences?
Genetic alteration began with pure intentions as a way to keep up with increasing food demand and provide nutrients to areas with scarcity. The Golden Rice Project is a great example of this. Engineered to produce Beta carotene, this genetically modified wild rice was created to diminish the threat of blindness in places where Vitamin A is scarce (BBC, 2016). However, greed is one of man’s treacherous downfalls and has facilitated the abuse of what once was an innocent process. Now genetic refinement has run rampant in the food industry and spread into other enterprises.
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What we do not realize is the amount of organisms altered for human survival, consumption, and entertainment. Livestock and crops are most commonly known to be altered, but there are a multitude of others. Domesticated animals, insects, plants, and viruses have been modified by scientists. Varying god, cat, and horse breeds are combined for competition and looks. In 2008, Malaysia considered the release of genetically engineered mosquitoes as a solution to dengue fever (Aldridge, 2008). Trees are modified to increase disease resistance and flowers are customized to gardeners’ satisfaction. Most shocking, is the concept of altering a virus and introducing it into the human body to combat illness. Although proving effective for centuries, this process also has the capability of being abused. University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka recently created a strain of flu that can completely escape the human immune system, with the potential of wiping out all of humanity (Baker, 2014).
http://www.rockwoodcomic.com/toons/01-0813.GIF
According to Newton’s third law of motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In economics, the idea of opportunity cost states that every action has a consequence. Genetic modification cannot come without some form of response, whether it be negative or positive, affecting humanity or the environment, or both. The entertainment industry loves to portray this theories. Frankenstein assumed the role of God when attempting to bring his mélange of body parts to life only to have created a murderous monster (Branagh, 1994). In I Am Legend, Dr. Krippin created a seemingly beneficial virus to fight cancer until three years down the road, had mutated and wiped out most of the world’s population (Lawrence, 2007). And most famously, is the story of billionaire philanthropist John Hammond and his scientists who extracted DNA from fossilized mosquitoes and combined it with genetic material from a frog to recreate living dinosaurs in… you guessed it: Jurassic Park (Spielberg, 1993). But these are just fiction, right?
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It is no secret that humankind is not destined to live forever; the prevalence of television shows dedicated to videos of people doing stupid things are evidence of that. And while some of these not-so bright individuals may be weeded out due to natural selection, others are surviving by unnatural genetic modification. We are disrupting the flow of nature without recognition of the consequences. Although humans are hardwired to favor the strongest, prettiest, best qualities, what we prefer might ultimately lead to our demise. Steven Hawking summed it up quite nicely at a lecture in Spain in 2014 when he said that “humanity is going to use science and technology to wipe itself out” (Griffin, 2016).
References
Aldridge, S. (2008). Genetically modified mosquitoes. Nat Biotechnol Nature Biotechnology, 26(7), 725-725. doi:10.1038/nbt0708-725a
BBC. (2016). Genetic modification and cloning. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zx6g87h/revision/3
Baker, J. (2014). Scientist creates new flu virus that can kill all of humanity. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://sploid.gizmodo.com/scientist-creates-new-flu-virus-that-can-kill-all-of-hu-1599174385
Branagh, K. (Director), & Lady, S., & Darabont, F. (Writers). (1994). Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein [Motion Picture]. United States: TriStar Pictures.
Griffin, A. (2016). Stephen Hawking: Humanity is going to use science and technology to wipe itself out, professor warns. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/stephen-hawking-humanity-is-going-to-use-science-and-technology-to-wipe-itself-out-professor-warns-a6821341.html
Lawrence, F. (Director), Goldsman, A., Lassiter, J., Heyman, D., & Moritz, N. H. (Producers), & Goldsman, A., & Protosevich, M. (Writers). (2007). I Am Legend [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Spielberg, S. (Director), & Crichton, M., & Koepp, D. (Writers). (1993). Jurassic Park [Motion Picture]. United States: Universal Pictures.
meaningfulfoodblog 
Kristin,
I actually thought this blog post was very entertaining. I do see what you mean when you say that GMO talk is repetitive and that there is more to it than just feeding people. I loved the direction you took this piece. I wasn’t really sure where it was going at the beginning, but I loved how you brought in pop culture to support your claims, it made it very interesting and fun. Honestly, it probably made it even more affective, because I could relate with those references, but can;t really closely relate with the food industry itself. You had multiple credible sources that interestingly backed up your claims that GMOs are not just present in food, but in a lot of things in our world, and that we need to address the larger issue before focussing on our food production. Perhaps just some revisions are in order to formulate smoother transitions and fix spelling and structure errors, but great job!
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Kristin,
I actually thought this blog post was very entertaining. I do see what you mean when you say that GMO talk is repetitive and that there is more to it than just feeding people. I loved the direction you took this piece. I wasn’t really sure where it was going at the beginning, but I loved how you brought in pop culture to support your claims, it made it very interesting and fun. Honestly, it probably made it even more affective, because I could relate with those references, but can’t really closely relate with the food industry itself. You had multiple credible sources that interestingly backed up your claims that GMOs are not just present in food, but in a lot of things in our world, and that we need to address the larger issue before focussing on our food production. Perhaps just some revisions are in order to formulate smoother transitions and fix spelling and structure errors, but great job!
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