GMO- Blessing or Curse?

    

    

(Image source: http://cpronline.com/whats-really-hidden-inside-your-food-gmos/)

     The somewhat tedious pGlo lab, which I have to written a formal lab report about, actually sparked a somewhat unexpected interest in a rather peripheral subject: GMO. The pGLO plasmid, a product of genetic engineering, consists of several reporter genes including GFP and Ampicillin Resistance Gene that were transplanted into the plasmid after being extracted (isolated) from other organisms. The technology which made such process possible directly pertains to the production of GMO, undoubtedly a huge controversy today.
     The first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption is the Flavr Savr, a tomato that doesn't become soft. Currently 68 varieties of GMO are being cultivated around the globe, many of which demonstrate very impressive characteristics including herbicide/insect resistance. The advocates of GMO are confident that GMO, by virtue of its remarkable toughness and high yield, can help alleviate severe food shortages in third world nations. The opponents, on the other hand, are extremely skeptical about the safety of GMO and warn the devastating impact GMO may cause on the environment.
    Regardless of the intense debate, it seems clear that the opponents of GMO still have lots to prove. Many international science body in the world including EU, WHO, and the Royal Society of London has reviewed multiple independent studies—in some cases numbering in the hundreds—to reach a somewhat unexpected conclusion that GMO crops are "as safe or safer than conventional or organic foods". Recently, a group of Italian scientists catalogued 1783 studies about the safety and environmental impacts of GMO foods. The researchers concluded that none of the 1783 studies showed any credible evidence that GMO foods actually pose harm to humans or animals. “The scientific research conducted so far has not detected any significant hazards directly connected with the use of genetically engineered crops,” the scientists concluded. (Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/10/14/2000-reasons-why-gmos-are-safe-to-eat-and-environmentally-sustainable/) Well, seems I can feel safe and have my potato chips again.