Lesson 3.

2
Specific Issues in Science, Technology, and Society

APPLICATION
GMOs: Boon or Bane?
Creative Output

Direction: After watching the video about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs),
jot down its advantages and disadvantages in a creative manner. Post your answer
in our NEO LMS classroom.

Based on the video I watched, Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are

living organisms that have had their genes altered in some way. GMOs can be
animals or bacteria, but most often they are crops like corn or potatoes that have
been tweaked in a lab to increase the amount or quality of food they produce. There
are many advantages of GMO crops, but some groups have raised concerns that
GMO may have negative health effects.
Here's what I observe about the pros and cons of GMO foods and how we
should avoid them.

GMO crops can offer many advantages in costs and nutrition, but some
experts worry that they carry health risks, as well. GMOs may cause allergic
reactions. Because GMO foods contain DNA from other organisms, it's possible that
the new DNA can trigger allergies in people who wouldn't normally be allergic to the
food. In one instance, a GMO soybean crop created using DNA from a Brazil nut
was unsafe for people with nut allergies and couldn't be released to the public.
However, GMO foods go through extensive allergen testing, so they shouldn't
necessarily be riskier than conventional crops.

GMO crops have many advantages for your health, such as greater nutritional
value and fewer pesticides. They may also be cheaper for farmers to grow, allowing
for lower food prices. Though there are possible risks, major agencies like the US
Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency tightly
regulate GMO foods and ensure that they are safe for people to eat. 

But there is disadvantage also, First is GMO crops can be tailored to provide
better health benefits.GMO foods can be modified so that they provide a complete
nutritional profile. Multiple vitamins and minerals can be built into the crops as they
grown by adjusting the genetic profile of the plant, making it possible for people to
get what they need with fewer foods and lower costs. That makes it possible to
provide more people who are living in poverty with the food resources they need to
maintain their health. Second is, there is the possibility of an increased shelf
life.GMO crops can be engineered to last longer once harvested, which makes it
possible to extend the distribution life of the food product. That makes it possible to
use the existing infrastructure for food distribution to send healthy foods further
around the world. That means locations which are experiencing food deserts or
shortages can still receive affordable foods that can benefit the general population.
Lastly, It takes less land to grow more food.GMO crops can be engineered to
produce higher yields from the same croplands. In some instances, the crop yields
can potentially double when the transition from traditional crops to GMO crops is
completed by local farmers. That makes it possible to meet the food demands that
future generations are going to face.

ASSESSMENT
Stem Cell Therapy vs Gene Therapy

How does stem cell differ to gene therapy? How do they help alleviate our
health conditions? Explain.

Based on my own understanding on the research I read. Both stem cell and
gene therapy research are currently the focus of intense research in institutions and
companies around the world. Both approaches hold great promise by offering radical
new and successful ways of treating debilitating and incurable diseases effectively.
Gene therapy is an approach to treat, cure, or ultimately prevent disease by
changing the pattern of gene expression. It is mostly experimental, but a number of
clinical human trials have already been conducted. Gene therapy can be targeted to
somatic or germ cells; the most common vectors are viruses. Scientists manipulate
the viral genome and thus introduce therapeutic genes to the target organ. Viruses,
in this context, can cause adverse events such as toxicity, immune and inflammatory
responses, as well as gene control and targeting issues. That’s why it consist a lot of
problems that needs a solution.