Food is essential. Imagine a world without food. What if the world ran out of sage and nutritious food? What if Crops cannot be grown or are contaminated with heavy metals? In such a scenario, what steps can be taken? This might merely seem like a movie; however, it is happening now. The world faces a global hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions. In just two years, the number of people facing, or at risk of, acute food insecurity increased from 135 million in 53 countries pre-pandemic, to 345 million in 82 countries today.
Why does it happen?
Before talking about solving this problem, we must talk about why it happened and happening know. They have a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is climate change. As global temperatures and sea levels rise, the result is more heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires. Those conditions make it difficult for farmers to grow food and for the hungry to get it.
What is GMO?
When a food crisis happens, Lab plant which is called GMO can help to produce more food. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism to which biotechnology has been applied.
How to Make GMO
Making GMO is widely used in biological research. But all of products of genetic engineering were created using the same basic steps. To make GMO plants, scientists need a lot of processes. They need to identify what trait they want that to have and find organisms that they can use. During Identify a trait of interest, scientist check their nature to discover new genetic trait. After that they isolate the genetic trait of interest using comparative analysis. Comparative analysis is used to interpret what part of an organism’s genetic makeup contains the trait of interest. In order to identify genes, present exclusively in plants with the trait, genomes of the same species with and without the trait are compared. If all the above steps are completed, the last steps are inserting the desired genetic trait into a new genome and growing GMO. Altering the genome of plant seeds is difficult due to their rigid structure. So many biotech companies use “gene guns” that shoot metal particles coated with DNA into plant tissue with a 0.22-caliber charge. However, in some cases, companies use bacteria called Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which naturally invades seeds and alters plants by inserting their own DNA into their genomes. Biotechnology research genetically engineers bacteria to produce desired proteins. A DNA strand of interest is cut and pasted into a plasmid, which is a small, circular molecule of DNA, using enzymes. The engineered plasmid is then delivered to bacteria by shock using either heat or electricity. Researchers may be able to insert desirable traits into a crop's genome by modifying a-tumefaciens, which is easier to modify than plant seeds. Having successfully inserted a genetic trait into an organism's genome, the modified organism must then be capable of growing and reproducing.
Does GMO good?
GMO is not natural plant. So, we can wondering about safety. Some scientists say it is safe, other say not. According to FDA, GMO foods are safe because they studied it carefully before they are sold to the public to ensure they are as safe as the foods we currently eat. Also, they hold GMOs in high regard. GMO can increased attractiveness to consumer, enhanced flavor, and increased nutritional value, which can boost the health of people with limited access to food. But some people worry about that’s safety. They say GMO is a relatively new practice, which means the long-term effects on safety are not yet clear. The WHO discourages genetic engineers from using DNA from allergens unless they can prove that the gene itself does not cause the problem. GMO is still having research process, GMOs are still in the research process, and it will take more time to understand risks and safety in detail and accurately. However, I believe that it is positive in that it provides one solution to the world's many food problems.
Citation
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Italy, U.S. Mission. “How Climate Change Affects the Food Crisis.” U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy, 17 Oct. 2022, https://it.usembassy.gov/how-climate-change-affects-the-food-crisis/.
“What Are GMOs?” Purdue University - College of Agriculture, https://ag.purdue.edu/gmos/what-are-gmos.html.
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Science and History of Gmos and Other Food Modification Processes.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-modification-processes.
“Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Transgenic Crops and Recombinant DNA Technology.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetically-modified-organisms-gmos-transgenic-crops-and-732/#:~:text=Some%20benefits%20of%20genetic%20engineering,to%20the%20world's%20growing%20population.
SITNFlash. “How to Make a GMO.” Science in the News, 11 Aug. 2015, https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2015/how-to-make-a-gmo/.
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “Understanding New Plant Varieties.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/understanding-new-plant-varieties.
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