Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified Food Essay Example for Free

Arguments for and Against Genetically Modified Food Essay Biotechnology involves any technique that uses living organisms or parts there of to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals or to develop micro organisms for specific uses (Dr Sriwatanapongse, www. afic. org) In the past century weve have been lucky enough to stumble upon one of the basic building blocks of organisms, DNA. In recent years scientists have been able to develop ways in which they can manipulate, alter, and transfer DNA in forms that can help improve our lives. One way in which DNA research has been used to improve our lifestyle, is by engineering the deoxyribonucleic acid into ways which can alter food supplies to make them bigger, taste better, resistant to pests and even make them have a greater concentration of nutrients. Of course this is great news to the human population, in terms of economic and life-saving values for third world countries, yet there are still disadvantages. With all the good news that comes from these altered crops, concerns are still among people. These concerns include; whether or not these alterations will affect humans in a negative way, or how they will impact the environment. Genetically engineering crops might play a significant role in increasing crop yield therefore allowing the world to feed more people while using less land. A recent study on bioengineered crops concluded that these crops are safe and can improve production dramatically. To date, total acres of biotech crops harvested exceed more than 1 billion with a proven 10-year history of safe use. Over the next decade, expanded adoption combined with current research on 57 crops in 63 countries will broaden the advantages of genetically modified foods for growers, consumers and the environment. (www. monsanto. com) Those opposing the genetically altered crops state that One major detriment to genetically engineered food is that there has been no adequate testing to ensure that extracting genes from useful functions will yield the same results in different applications and species (www. govhs. org). Predictions of future are that, consumers are able to get foods that last longer, taste better and are more nutritious than the current foods. There will also an even greater variety of foods all year round. These products will be made possible through genetic engineering, and some of them are already available. For centuries, farmers grew plants to produce special foods with unique characteristics: better taste, higher yield or greater resistance to drought or frosts. History shows, that five thousand years ago in Peru, potatoes were grown selectively. Plants, which produced potatoes with attractive characteristics, such as higher yields, were used to produce future plants. More than two thousand years ago, tree grafting was used by the Greeks to Gain a more fruit in orchards. Now, we have genetically engineered food that has been discovered and now offers a faster and more reliable method of establishing new traits in plants to provide foods that are better tasting, more nutritious or more in amount. Although all of this may seem futuristic, such crops do already exist. Not only have these crops been in laboratories for decades, but they have been in the market for years. Humans have only just begun to realize the benefits of these genetically altered foods. Genetically altered foods allow a wide selection of things to improve upon. Some altered abilities already exists in our fruits and vegetables, these include: pest, disease and herbicide. By using genetic engineering, plants that resist disease, pests or insects can be developed. This means that less chemicals, such as pesticides, are required. In the near future scientists hopefully will be able to improve the drought resistance of most crop species and could have major implications for crops grown in dry areas (www.abc. net. au/news). Weather resistance Plants could and can be developed to better withstand extreme weather conditions such as drought or frosts. Genetically engineering foods make crops easier to maintain and lower the cost in maintenance. One benefit of altered foods which is often overlooked is the Improved processing characteristics of these foods, leading to reduced waste and lower food costs to the consumer. Foods are being developed to contain more vitamins, minerals, protein and less saturated fat. For example, fruits and vegetables with higher levels of antioxidant vitamins may reduce cardiovascular disease risk and help reduce the risk of certain cancers (www. americanheart. org). The world population is expected to double to more than 10 billion people by the year 2050. Food biotechnology can help meet the increasing demand for food. By increasing a crops ability to withstand environmental factors, growers will be able to farm in parts of the world currently unsuitable for crop production. Along with additional food, this could also provide economies of developing nations with much-needed jobs and greater productivity. Genetically engineered foods seem to have solved all the problems farmers and growers have had for years. Unfortunately all the positive effects of altered foods seem to mask the reality behind these perfect crops. Some of the disadvantages of altered crops include the possibility of mutations. Plant breeders have induced mutations in selected plants by treating them with chemicals or radiation; however this is costly and unpredictable (Microorganisms, biotechnology and Disease). Genetic engineering changes the nature of the food eaten. It can cause unexpected mutations in an organism, which can create new and higher levels of toxins in foods. Genetic engineering can produce unknown allergens in foods. Some foods may be implanted with the ability to produce antibiotics. This may help the plant, but if these plants that are infected with bacteria emerge new strands of bacteria that may become resistant to the most advanced antibiotics, there will be a problem. With herbicide-resistant crops, weeds may evolve to also become herbicide resistant. The spread of diseases across specific species may also become a factor because of a loss of ? bio-diversity in crops. When crops are altered for specific abilities, they are then mass produced. They are the only type of species grown in field of thousands. Because of this, the species will only be able to pass on to all generations the same DNA. Once started, they may not be easily controlled or contained. It makes the crops hard to calculate. Unfortunately the biggest problem raised from new modified foods is the fact that the public is unaware of how it works and the results behind the genetically modified food. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic code in living organisms. About twenty five years ago, scientists began to understand how DNA worked. From this ways for speeding up breeding processes were understood to a degree. Agricultural scientists today can identify the genes that carry specific traits they want, such as ? disease resistance or ? nutrient content and transfer those genes to a plant, therefore creating a transgenic organism. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially modifying these ? blueprints. By cutting and splicing DNA, engineers can transfer genes specific to one type of organism into any other organism. Some organisms have been enhanced through biotechnology such as; tomatoes, that go ? soft more slowly and so remain on the vine for longer. This gives them more colour and flavour. Also, virus resistant papyrus and squash, that make the crop more dependable. Genetically modified food seems to have already changed the world today. Many countries are already considering making more of their crops with genetically engineered properties. Scientists have gained a vast knowledge of genetic engineering and are now able to make many possibilities. Genetically engineered food has brought a lot of commercial benefits; increased crops quality, harvesting quantity, pest resistance, herbicide resistance, nutrient supplementation and more. Not only have the crops improved, but more crops are produced in less space. Although the benefits of bioengineering seem fantastic, there are still many mysteries left to understand in such a vast field of understanding. Genetic engineering might cause serious consequences to our future life as well next generations to come. Deeper insight into genetic engineering may be all that is needed for us to gain truly unlimited advantage from such a vast scientific field.

Underneath My Skin - Original Writing :: Papers

Underneath My Skin - Original Writing I am 15 years old, and I hate my life. My parents are dead, I have no friends, I get bullied every day, and the worst of it is that I can't do anything about it. I now live in Omaha, Nebraska with my aunt, Patrice, who just made 21 and is never home. She is my last living relative. At school this kid named Brian messes me all the time. I never fight back because I'm just peaceful like that. I get good grades (I have nothing else to do with my spare time except homework). I earn my own money by playing craps behind the school with loaded dice. That's why I don't have any friends. So I was walking home and here comes Brian with his sidekick Jim. Brian says, "Hey punk how's it goin'?" Then Jim says, "Yeah punk." I say, "I'm doing fine." "Gimme all your money, or my fist and your face will become good friends." Then he pushes me. All of a sudden, something came over and I just start wailing on the guy. I get up, look at Jim and say, "You want some of this?" He stands there in fear for a while and runs away. The rest of the way home I kept thinking about what happened, thinking about what came over me. In the middle of deep thought, I heard a voice say, "It was me." I looked around and no one was there. So I blew it off and went on home. I got home, laid on my bed still thinking about what happened. There was that voice again, "It was meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Makius." Now I knew something was up. "Who's there?" I said. "You don't know me but I know you very well," said the voice. "You know me," I said. The voice then said, "Yes, I know about the time when someone tripped you and everyone laughed. I know about the time when some bully stole your shoes, and wore them the next day.

Personal Development Paper Essay

I have a lot of scope for improvement. I have a lot of potential both professionally and in the personal space – I need to tap it. My asthetic sense, candor and imagination help me stand out in a crowd and I need to fine tune these skills. Given my high sensitivity to stress, I tend to get very irritable and frustrated during high pressure scenarios. I am exteremly disorganized and this has really harmed me all my life. I really need to work on my organization skills.Goals To be more organized, and disciplined. I need to have a stronger work eithc, and develop strong analytical and quant skills. I would also like to invest alot of time in reading, and wasting less time doing meaningless stuff. Reading and getting exposed to the opportunities everywhere gets me excited, and once I am excited – I am driven.Perception of others In all honesty, others view me as exteremly modest but that is because I am good at hiding my weaknesses. They respect my candor and people skills, and appreciate my input once in a while.Standards organization expects you to meet Disciplined, focused, very strong finance background, strong work ethic, working in high pressure scenarios, and having a strong sense of responsibility. DEVELOPMENTAL PLANNING WORKSHEET Professor Randall S. Peterson DEVELOPMENT ISSUE (from GAPS analysis): The issue is that I am easily intimidated, and not focused. I tend to get distracted with my surroundings and tend to loose interest in my own ambition and agenda. I tend to get bored easily, and leave things in the middle – very impatient.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: What will be different? What could someone else observe that will change? For starters I will be more diligent, focused and orderly. This can be seen through my group participation, my in class assignments, my club involvement and my career hunt activities. Juggling so many aspects at once will require all of the above. My quant and financial skills can really develop if I invest time, and effort in reading and understanding the material. This can also be a visible change.What will I gain by achieving the goal? What is in it for you? Happiness. Job. Personal satisfaction. Personal growth and development.WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE COMMITED TO THIS: What will you need to do as soon as you get back to the office to get started? Who do I need to get committed to helping me? And what is in it for them? Me, myself and I.LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT (use at least three of the six to make your development goal SMART) 1) Seek New Challenges/Projects Challenge PE CASE CHALLANGE Specific Action/Time/Deadline working with people in a field I have very little experience in. Taken a challenge. Have to work hard. This will improve my quant and tech skills.2) Take Courses and Workshops Course/Workshop Specific Action/Time/Deadline 3) Develop Ongoing Feedback Name(s)/Strategy for Identifying People Study Group Specific Action/Time/Deadline Montly feedback on progress – personally and professionally. Team contract also helps keep us in check. 4) Identify Role Models and Coaches Name(s)/Strategy for Identifying People Raluca – Class mate Specific Action/Time/Deadline She helps me stay focused and organized everyday. We plan the everyday in advance, and luckily always manage to achieve the target.5) Development Reading Books/Papers Specific Action/Time/Deadline 6) Other Learning Tactics Strategy Specific Action/Time/Deadline OBSTACLES What will I give up? I will give up making excuses. I will talk less listen more. I will give up wasting time, and reading more. I will give up being disorganized. What are the major obstacles and how will I manage them? Obstacle is just me and my mind – I need to be focused, and do proper time management. Not get distracted with the noise around me. Work at my pace, and be patient.How to work with me I am pretty flexible, and easy going. Only thing is I lack commitment, and have poor work ethics. I tend to get distracted easily and hence get frustrated when the pressure builds up. Please be a little strcit with me when it comes to academics. I need to get more responsibility so I am actually forced to put in effort, instead of depending on others. This will help me build my quant and analytical skills, and that will increase my confidence 10 folds. Since I tend to get distracted easliy, please always bring me back on track. I am very dependable, approachable, and I love interacting with people and learning through people. Hence, if I don’t understand something, and if someone explains it to me politely I will always listen. I tend to disagree alot, and sometimes unnecessairly. I am also very open to people criticizing me. I love negative feedback so I have room to develop. Please motivate me, and cultivate in me discipline.

A Days Wait - 1204 Words

A DAY’S WAIT LITERARY ANALYSIS Author: Ernest Hemingway, an American writer. His writing celebrates heroes and explores the nature of courage in this story. In much of his writing he dramatizes the importance of bravery in the face of death and of life’s everyday problems. This story deals with the quiet courage needed to face fear. Looking at Hemingway ´s biography we can find parallels between the story A Day ´s Wait and the author ´s real life. When Hemingway took part in World War I he was wounded twice. When he was in hospital he heard the doctor talk about his health and since he did not know any better he thought he would have to die. His own fear, the behaviour and the feelings in this situation Hemingway expresses through†¦show more content†¦-We should control our emotions and consider others despite our fears. -You shouldnt over worry about silly things because you will soon realize you were a fool to worry over such things. At the end of the story when the boy knows that he will not die he becomes his old self again: he starts to complain about little things that are of no importance just like before he thought he would die. This shows how death lets things appear in a different way, everything that seemed to be important before is not important anymore. - This also is the theme of the story: the innocence of a child. The boy would never talk about his feelings and fear, probably because he does not want other people to worry about him. He might not want to hurt them. Mood: the story is written in more of a matter-of-fact style so it may seem cold and heartless but this style allows the reader to decide what that person is feeling on their own. CHARACTERIZATION: What is a dynamic character? What is a static character? How are they different? In a story, a dynamic character is someone who undergoes an important, internal change because of the action in the plot. Ebenezer Scrooge, from Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol, is a classic example. When we first meet him, he is mean, bitter, and avaricious. Through his experiences with the three ghosts, he becomes generous, kind, and beloved. A static character is one whose personality doesntShow MoreRelatedA Days Wait1658 Words   |  7 PagesA DAYS WAIT A brief Analysis The fateful misunderstanding Obviously there is an invisible wall between father and his son. They talk about two different things, the father about the disease and the son about his death but they do not know that they misunderstand each other. This fateful misunderstanding appears in different scenes where the father and son talk about it, meaning two different things. One example is when the father asks his son why he does not go to sleep. 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If all this was that easy then why the hell are people working their asses off the entire day? Why not we, our parents, their parents and everybody just sit on different terminals and cash in easy money daily from 9:15am to 3:30pm and then just enjoyRead MoreEssay on Philmont Trek1312 Words   |  6 Pagesfew days. Besides in the campsites, we only saw one other group of people during the entire 12 day trek and the only human sounds were our own. Each camp was an island of civilization in a great sea of wilderness, and a wonderful solace to end the day’s hike. We had been walking a long time today. Waking up at 6:00, we had eaten and broken camp down quickly so we would make it to the next campsite before nightfall. We had begun hiking at 7:00 a.m. and besides hourly five minute breaks, and onlyRead MoreThe Parable Of The Workers Essay1468 Words   |  6 PagesGod, describing what the Kingdom of God will be like. And the grace of God is evident in this. 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