Biotechnology and Its Impact on Modern Society

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Introduction Biotechnology is a subject of huge interest for both scientists and its critics. Many countries, including the US, Canada and China are commercially producing transgenic crops with attributes taken from other organisms in order to increase yield, aid growth in adverse climates and be resistant to pests, disease and viruses. But it isn’t just crops that can be modified this way. Livestock can also be the subjects of modification to produce leaner, healthier meat and even reduce the animals’ intake of feed. These techniques can also be utilized to develop medications which would could be largely beneficial for society, help to eliminate birth defects and identify disease causing genes and eradicate them before a child is born. So with so many potential benefits, biotechnical advancements should be widely accepted in our society. However, in a 2010 Eurobarometer survey, 59% of European people surveyed disagreed that GM food is safe for human consumption and 70% agreed that GM food is “fundamentally unnatural”. There is much speculation as to whether genetically modified foods are safe for consumption by humans and livestock, harmful to the environment and whether it is ethical to manipulate the genetic material of other organisms. In order to gain a greater understanding of this highly controversial technology, this essay is going to explore the potential benefits and dangers of genetically modified food in particular and how biotechnology is effecting our society. Genetic Modification Humans have been practising forms of genetic modification throughout history, from choosing particular animals to breed for their specific qualities (selective breeding), cross-fertilization of crops right up to transgenic technologies. The development of recombinant deoxyribose nucleic acid (rDNA) technology by Paul Berg, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen in 1971 began

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