Genetic Modification - Preventing, Treating And Curing Disease Flashcards
What is genetic engineering?
Gives organisms new and useful characteristics
Involves cutting a gene out of an organism and putting it into another organisms cells
These are called genetically modified organisms
How can genetic engineering be used in agriculture?
To become
resistant to herbicides (chemicals that kill plants) so farmer can kill weeds and not plants
Resistant to insect or disease
Grow bigger and better fruit
Can increase crop yield or amount of crops produced
Concerns for genetic engineering
Animal;
Hard to predict how changing animals DNA will effect it, many genetically modified embryos don’t survive, and some suffer from health problems later in life
Plants;
Affect number of wild flowers and amount of insects
Worries we may not understand effects of GM crops on human health
