... and animal there are millions of genes. Inside each gene are strings of DNA. Genes determine the growth, size, and other characteristics of an organism. These genes are also by what species transfer inheritable characteristics from one generation to the next. DNA holds all the information regarding function and structure in a plant or animal. Another form of DNA is known as recombinant DNA ... and for turning plants, animals, and microorganisms into chemical factories.(2 p.281) Genetic engineering is when scientists artificially tamper with these blueprints. Engineers have gained a lot ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... sequence. Genetically modified crops are a hot topic in the scientific world today, both for their potential benefits and their potential drawbacks. Genetic modification changes the genes and thereby the characteristics of the subject. You can, for example, genetically modify strawberries so that they stay fresh for longer, and rice can be genetically modified so that it has a higher vitamin ... The result is that the plant receives the characteristics held within the genetic code. Consequently, the genetically modified plant also becomes able to withstand pesticides. The consequences of ...

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... desired characteristics, such as resistance to frost or to pesticides. The goal is to give these new characteristics to a living thing that couldn't do those things before. The techniques of modern genetics have made possible the direct manipulation of the genetic makeup of organisms. In agriculture, genetic engineering allows simple genetic traits to be transferred to crop plants from wild ... relatives, other distantly related plants, or virtually any other organism. Genetically ... being more discussed as it could affect the future of the economical and nutritional world today by a ...

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... called "gene-manipulation- is scientifically called genetic engineering, which is the method of altering and manipulating organism's genetic or hereditary material to eliminate undesirable characteristics producing new desirable ones. It has been used in increasing the production plant and animal food, developing disease-resistant plants, diagnosing disease, improving medical treatments, and producing vaccines and other useful drugs. Although there is a major issue in ... has been popular since after the Second World War, and is still used today. This method is most commonly for increas...

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... called "gene-manipulation- is scientifically called genetic engineering, which is the method of altering and manipulating organism's genetic or hereditary material to eliminate undesirable characteristics producing new desirable ones. It has been used in increasing the production plant and animal food, developing disease-resistant plants, diagnosing disease, improving medical treatments, and producing vaccines and other useful drugs. Although there is a major issue in ... has been popular since after the Second World War, and is still used today. This method is most commonly for increas...

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... engineered crops. Genetic modification takes selective breeding a step further, Scientist are learning how to identify genes and recognize which genes control the development of which characteristics. They are now able to breed offspring by transporting the desirable genes from one plant to another. There are concerns that genetic modified crops ... vigorously then other crops and wild plants. It has been suggested that genetic modified plants could breed with other plants producing uncontrollable weed species with herbicide resistance. Concerns have been expressed that eating genetic m...

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... be cloned (that is, duplicated) in large quantities. The subsequently produced protein can then be removed from the host, purified, and used as a genetically engineered product in humans, other animals, plants, or bacteria or viruses. Bt Cotton China's research in agricultural biotechnology began in the early 1980s, when the focus was mainly on genetic engineering and molecular marking. Research centered on ... findings in agriculture have progressed rapidly. By the end of 1996, Chinese scientists had conducted research on 47 kinds of transgenic plants involving 103 genes. Among one of ...

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... an inserted flounder genes to tolerate cold better, cotton containing genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) for insect resistance. The idea that there were factors controlling an organism's characteristics, and that these factors were inherited in a predictable way, was first discovered by Gregor Mendel, in 1900, his factors were given the name "genes" which carried on chromosomes ... Mexico, the crops were damaged and contained transgenes. As alien genes disrupt both individual cells and the entire system, anything can happen, it can cause plants and other organisms t...

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... useful applications include genes that increase disease resistance of plants as well as increased nutritional potential. This is especially useful in countries and regions of the world where many of the populace is in dire need of nourishment. Crops can be modified to provide more of a mineral or a vitamin. A prominent example of this is Golden Rice. Called as such due ... has not been enough research into the unintended effects. If a crop does not respond positively to an inserted gene it may display unwanted characteristics included with the original trait. Some of these unwanted chara...

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... . This is also the case where "designer babies" are concerned. With developing genetic techniques, it may become possible to select certain characteristics for children, obviously with a price tag. This could result in a genetic underclass of people with more faulty genes than richer people. This means that genetic engineering allows humans to initiate certain traits and qualities that nature was previously held ... as rice could be genetically engineered to contain vitamin A. The need for pesticides could be reduced all over the world with the possibility of injecting plants with bio eng...

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... characteristic directly into a plant. Traditional breeding methods involve crossbreeding plants in order to produce desired changes in that particular crop. These changes might be increased hardiness, more productivity or enhanced color. "The traditional method is quite imprecise because the farmer is shuffling thousands of genes in the offspring, causing them to have some of the characteristics of each parent plant. They then look for the ... plants with the most desirable new trait," states Dr. Jane Henney, US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner (FDA Consumer, January-February 2...

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... . Until the 20th century, this had to be done by breeding desirable characteristics into crops. This method requires plenty of effort and is rather imprecise. Genetic modification speeds up the process by identifying the genes that produce these selected traits and introducing them into the desired crop. The first wave of GM crops, grown in the 1990s, has largely given benefits to farmers ... that stops the growth of other bacteria that catalyze the formation of ice was sprayed over a strawberry crop to protect them from frost damage. Hence, the strawberry crop can survive during winter....

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... health risks and inconsistencies in genetic makeup. In its final review, the FDA concluded that the Flavr Savr did not lose original characteristics of a modern tomato and provided the exact same nutritional value. Evidently, the FDA approved the Flavr Savr for production and distribution. ... to eat. Moreover, Patrick Bateson, the vice-president and biological secretary of the Royal Society, also conducted a review of the health impact of GM foods. He stated how his group's "conducted review of the evidence about GM plants and human health" showed no credible evidence "that GM ... food...

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