"GMOs,
genetically modified organisms, are a hot topic lately. Many people
have safety concerns, some don't know what to think. The term GMO,
usually refers to laboratory created crops that began infiltrating
our food supply in the mid nineties. However, most people still don't
understand the differences between hybridization and genetic modification.
Natural
hybridization is nothing more than a cross between two closely related
species – usually two plants. Hybrids have happened
naturally throughout history via cross-pollination. Wind, water and
animals are common facilitators in this process . Even when gardeners
or farmers help the process along, hybridization has always occurred
between closely related species. In the animal kingdom, an example
of a hybrid is a mule, which is a cross between a male donkey and
a female horse. Generally, mules are more patient, sure-footed and
more willing workers than either parent.
In
contrast, GMOs are created in labs by scientists combining organisms
from two totally different biological kingdoms that could
never be blended by the forces of nature alone. For example, Monsanto
has crossed genetic material from a bacterial pesticide, Bt (Bacillus
thuringiensis), with corn. The goal was to create a pest-resistant
plant. This means that any pests attempting to eat the corn plant
will die since the pesticide is part of every cell of the plant. The
resultant GMO plant, known as Bt Corn, is itself registered as a pesticide
with the EPA so, if you feed this corn to your cattle, your chickens,
or yourself, you’ll be feeding them an actual pesticide in every
bite. Bt could never naturally become part of the corn seed."
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