1. What are the environmental dangers involving the “escape” of GMF’s into the w
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Question
1. What are the environmental dangers involving the “escape” of GMF’s into the wild?
2. What are the possible health dangers versus benefits regarding GMF’s.
3. Why do countries have such opposing views on the safety of GMF’s?
4. What is the greatest benefit of GMF’s and conversely the greatest danger? Develop your own opinion and be able to support it with your own reliable research.
5. In chapter 8, the production of a transgenic goat is described. How were researchers able to get the anti-thrombin gene into the goat? How were they able to have the gene expressed in mammary tissues only? What basic principle of biology makes it possible to place genes from one organism into another?
Explanation / Answer
1) There is always the danger that genetically modified organisms will "escape" into the wild. A fish, for example, that grows four times as fast as a normal fish but escapes into the wild, could destroy the existing natural balance of our planet.
2) Growing number of consumers are rejecting GMFs. Some countries have have banned genetically modified foods or required that all genetically modified ingredients are highlighted on food labels.
Some research shows that GMFs can cause allergies. So far, however, there's not direct evidence of these or other allergies caused by genetically altered foods.
3) Growing attention has been paid to warnings by various organizations and their denunciation campaign against genetic engineering. In France, GMOs have been strongly opposed by various NGOs and associations: environmental organizations, the second-largest farmers union, anti-globalisation groups, and other NGOs focusing on economic or development issues. The impact of these organizations has been strong, owing to the dynamism of their action, which gave them extensively publicity: numerous strongly-worded press communiqus, the repeated mass dissemination of alerts and warnings, petitions, leaflets, standardized letters for elected representatives or agro-food firms, lawsuits, demonstrations, and so on. In particular, these groups took advantage of new communication technologies. Critics associated the opposition of these NGOs with worthy values: the need for caution when launching new technologies, the environment and public health protection, citizen participation in technological choices, etc. Organizations opposed to GMOs gained legitimacy, whereas companies involved in GM products were often seen as greedy and rapacious.
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