The use of genetic engineering in agriculture and food production has an impact, not only on the environment and biodiversity, but also on human health. First of all, one might ask, "What is genetic engineering?" Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique used by scientists to change the DNA of living organisms. DNA is the blueprint for the individuality of an organism. Every organism relies upon the information stored in its DNA for the management of its biochemical processes. The life, growth, and unique features of the organism depend entirely on its DNA. DNA can also be broken down into smaller segments called genes. Genes are directly associated with specific features and/or functions of an organism. .
Molecular biologists have discovered many enzymes, which change the structure of DNA in living organisms. Some of these enzymes can cut and join strands of DNA. Using such enzymes, scientists have learned to cut specific genes from DNA and build customized DNA using these genes. Also, scientists have been using vectors, strands of DNA-like viruses, which can infect any cell and insert themselves into its DNA. These scientists have started to build vectors, incorporating genes of their choosing, and using the vectors to insert these genes into the DNA of living organisms. By doing this, genetic engineers believe that they can improve the foods we eat. At first glance, this might look exciting to some people. Deeper consideration reveals some advantages, as well as serious dangers. .
Genetic engineering in agriculture gives today's scientist's considerable advantages in plant breeding. Scientists can identify the specific gene for a given trait, copy it, and then insert the gene into another plants DNA. This method eliminates the "back-crossing", traditional plant breeders must do to eliminate extraneous undesired genes that are frequently introduced using cross-hybridization.
