Are Genetically Modified Foods Scary?€¦ · a genetically modified papaya did save the day....
Transcript of Are Genetically Modified Foods Scary?€¦ · a genetically modified papaya did save the day....
Are Genetically Modified Foods Scary?
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Ireland, between the years 1845 and 1852, experienced a seven-year siege of
mass starvation, disease, and emigration known today as “The Great
Hunger.” During this time, approximately one million people starved to death
and another two million fled for their lives, emigrating to England, America,
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other countries. The immediate cause of
the famine was a potato blight, a disease that ravaged potato crops throughout
Europe. The impact was most severe in Ireland because one-third of the
population was dependent on the potato crop for survival. Political, social, and
economic factors only exacerbated the horrendous results of the potato blight
in Ireland.
exacerbated:
Background Ever since the first farmers began to plant and harvest grains more
than 10,000 years ago, humans have been looking for ways to increase agricultural
production. Over the centuries and across the globe, farmers have developed tools
and techniques to boost yields, such as irrigation, crop rotation, fertilizers and
pesticides. Today’s agricultural innovations are more effective than ever—but also
more controversial.
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1. As you read lines 1–28, begin to collect and cite text evidence.
• Underline the effects of the potato blight.
• Circle the claim that is made about preventing “The Great Hunger.”
• Underline desired traits of genetically modified food in lines 18–28.
Science Writing by Palome Reyes
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Recent advances in the field of genetically modified (GM) food could have
prevented the “Great Hunger” by introducing potatoes resistant to the disease
that destroyed Ireland’s potato crop. In the 1990s, Hawaii’s papaya industry
was facing disaster because of the virulent papaya ring spot virus. In this case,
a genetically modified papaya did save the day. Developed and used since 1999,
this genetically modified papaya, which resists the virus, has saved Hawaii’s
papaya industry.
The term “genetically modified food” refers to crop plants created for
human and animal consumption that use the latest molecular biology
techniques to enhance desired traits, such as resistance to disease and
herbicides or increased nutritional content. Traditionally this enhancement
would have been done through plant breeding. But, breeding is time
consuming and often not very accurate. Genetic engineering—actually
isolating and inserting genes with the desirable trait into plants—can create
plants with the desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example,
plant geneticists can isolate a gene for pest resistance and insert that gene into
another plant. The plant created as a result of the inserted genes will have the
desired trait of being resistant to pests.
As exciting as the promise of GM foods may seem, some people are raising
questions about the safety and long-term effects of such foods. Although most
virulent:
2. Reread lines 18–28. Summarize the information in these lines
to create a one-sentence definition of genetically modified food.
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3. As you read lines 29–57, continue to cite textual evidence
• Underline text that explains doubts about GM food.
• Circle information that is presented as fact.
• In the margin, list one possible advantage of GM foods.
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scientists concur that no harmful effects have yet been associated with
consuming GM crops, the anti-GM-food people resist the idea of big
agricultural and biotech companies (the forces spearheading production of GM
foods) trying to control what goes into the food we eat. These opponents
contend that genetic breeding is radically different from what human beings
have previously done, and that, as a result, we are now consuming products
that have never before been considered food. There is no way of predicting
what long-term effects these plants may have on the human beings and animals
that consume them. Neither is there any way of predicting what effect these
foods might have on other plants or on the environment in general. A widely
publicized study published in the fall of 2012 only added fuel to the controversy
when it noted that rats fed a lifetime diet of GM corn developed tumors,
whereas those fed a non-GM diet did not.
Proponents of GM foods counter that GM plants, with their built-in
protections against disease, pests, herbicides, cold, drought, and floods will
help increase food production worldwide and thereby stem the tide of
worldwide hunger. Furthermore, they argue that, although Americans have
been eating GM food for years, no one has been able to cite a single case of
someone actually getting sick from these foods.
concur:
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It is difficult to ignore the fact that the majority of scientific research thus
far indicates that GM foods pose no threat to consumers. On the other hand,
eating is something that we all do every day. Should the choice about what we
put into our mouths be left up to us or to businesses with financial interests in
GM products? The GM opponents argue that the choice should be ours and
that, at the very least, GM crops should be labeled. In this way consumers
would know what they are eating and could, therefore, choose to take the risk
or not.
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4. Reread lines 50–57. With a small group, discuss
the idea of labeling GM food. Do you think this is a good option to please
both GM opponents and supporters? Explain.
S H O R T R E S P O N S E
Cite Text Evidence Summarize the article in the lines below. First, identify
the central idea and its most important details, and then retell them in your
own words. Review your reading notes, and be sure to cite text evidence from
the article in your response.
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