Harvest of Fear Guided Viewing

Part I: Introduction 1: Who are the ELF? What are they against? Earth liberation fund. They are against biotechnology. 2: Which crop was the catalyst to the GMO food industry? Papaya. 3: What is the gene gun? How does it work? The ammunition is the gene. The target is the plant. Target is propelled through compressed gas. The gene gun allows the papaya to become a genetically modified papaya plant. This will determine if it will become resistant towards the virus, or not. Part 2: BT 4: Which university was the 1st to try GMO foods? Cornell University. 5: What were some of the first ideas for GMOs? To get medicine into plants, to make crops like rice more nutritious. To make tobacco plants glow when they needed watering. To make an arctic flounder to tolerate cold into a strawberry to protect it from frost damage. 6: Who are Monsanto? What did they set out to do? An agrochemical company Realized that biotechnology could be a way out of the pesticide industry. They set out to build a new industry. 7: What is a big risk for corn crops? What is the problem with spraying with pesticides? They are prone to caterpillars and pests eating them. The problem with spraying them with pesticides is that it kills even the insects that we do not necessarily want dead. 8: What is BT? What does it do? It is a gene that is able to make a crop create its own pesticide. 9: Why was genetically engineering considered to be a saver of the environment? It was considered to be a saver of the environment because they are able to replace pesticides. 10: When did GM foods get into the widespread media? When the majority of the crops in the U.S were genetically modified. They were shipped to food processors all around America. They are now found in cereals and soda. Part III: The Anti-GM Movement 11: What did the European Union vote for? A ban of genetically modified organisms. No new gmo's would be commercialized until further notice. All important gmo's had to be labeled. 12: What did the University of New Mexico researchers find out from surveys and focus groups? 20% of the people would say they do not eat gmo's. Most Americans were unaware they were eating gmo's for 5 years. They were angry when they found out. 13: What is your opinion on GMOs? (Before watching the video?) Before watching the video I was not that aware of gmo's but they sounded like something that was not dangerous. I thought that all gmo's were good. After watching this video, it is shocking to see that not all gmo's are necessary, and it is crazy to know that it is included in a variety of our foods. 14: Can someone prove that GM foods are safe? No. The proteins that are put into these foods have never been included in the human body, so we are unable to prove that genetically modified foods are perfectly safe. 15: How are GM foods tested for safety? Feeding the genetically modified toxins to mice.

16: How does Monsanto test their GM foods at the molecular level? They compare the chemistry in minute detail. Molecule by molecule they test the chemistry of the gm plants and non gm plants. If the resulting graph from the mass spectrometer line up exactly, the two products are identical. 17: What does the USDA, FDA and EPA do for GM foods? USDA: Checks that they are safe to grow. FDA: Checks that they are safe to eat. EPA: Get involved in crops like corn that contain pesticides. Part IV: Allergies 18: Why are people concerned about allergies with GM crops? People already have allergies and we are not sure how our bodies will react when we eat new genetically modified foods that humans have never consumed. 19: Why should people have confidence in GM foods? They are based on 3 decades of research. 20: What do the Union of Concerned Scientists believe should be done? Genetically modified foods should be labeled. 21: What happened to Starlink Corn? Explain the events and consequences. Starlink was intended for Americas breakfast tables. Starlink is identical to regular corn except it was engineered to make a toxin called cry9 C. Scientists had to prove that this was not an allergen. To test for this, scientists create in a test tube, the conditions of a human gut. They then had to time the amount of time it takes for a human protein to break down. The longer it takes, the more likely it will be an allergen. Cry9 C took a long time to break down, so the EPA said it was an allergen and approved it only for animal use. Scientists were convinced it was okay to use on humans. They continued to do more tests. In the meanwhile, they decided to sell it to farmers so they could use it in their feed. Friends of the earth checks the EPA website. They see starlink and realize it might be important. They realize most farmers do not separate conventional corn from gmo corn. They realized there was a good chance that it made it into our food. Friends of earth buy 23 corn based items and sent them to the lab. The lab found cry9 C in one product, taco shells made by taco bell. Not sure if cry9 C affects health. We are not sure if people are allergect to cry9 C. Starlink corn was a risk that should have not been taken. Now contamination is worldwide. 22: Describe the meaning of the statement, The absence of evidence isnt the absence of harm. Just because there isn't evidence that something is harmful doesn't 100% guarantee that it is safe. Part V: GM History 23: How did humans get different types of fruits and vegetables? By genetically engineering our food and cross breeding different types and selections. 24: What are some of the risks of natural breeding of fruits and vegetables? It is possible to pass on high levels of toxins in breeding that could lead to death. Breeding can cause toxic chemicals. 25: What is the difference between classic breeding and genetic engineering? Classical breeding can only cross relatable plants, like two varieties of potatoes. The cross involves crossing tens and thousands of genes at a time. Genetic engineering is more precise. They move individual genes into plants. It can move genes through different life forms. 26: Do you believe that a single gene in a new species would change the species as a whole? No because a single gene cannot change the species as a whole. If a tomato has one pig gene, it will not turn into a hybrid. It will still remain a tomato. 27: Monsanto holds ______ % of U.S. agricultural patents. 28 Part VI: GMOs and the Environment 28: Monarch Butterflies love to eat ______________________

milikweed leaves. 29: What did the scientists find out about the BT Corn and Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars? The caterpillars that ate the milkweed dusted with BT corn ate less, developed slower and suffered a higher mortality rate. Part VII: GMOs and Consumers 30: What is the difference between BT Corn Pollen in the lab and in the field? In the lab, the monarch butterfly caterpillars died. In the field, BT pollen is very heavy, so it does not travel far. Some people argue that there is not that many milkweed in cornfields. 31: Why is it so hard to know if BT Corn Pollen is harmful to Monarch Butterflies in the field? The environment poses many factors and there were not enough tests to see if the pollen is harmful in the field. Many factors have to be taken into consideration. 32: If you had the choice between BT Corn and spraying with insecticide- which would you choose and why? I would chose to use BT Corn because they are much more harmful to the environment. BT corn is harmful to one species while insecticides are harmful to a number of different things. 33: What does it mean when food is organically grown? Food should be produced with nature. No chemical use. Use sheep to clear the weed. Do not use pesticides. Does not use chemical fertilizers. 34: What are the fears of using BT Corn over time? The corn is producing a lot of toxins. These toxins can cause many problems. Some of the pests that are resistant towards the BT corn repopulate and there is nothing that the corn can do. Part VIII: Pesticide Resistance & Feeding the World 35: What has the EPA mandated against the pesticide resistance? How should this help? Refuge. For every field of BT crops, farmers must plant a section with non BT crops. A place where non resistance pests can live. This should allow continuing generations to become susceptible bugs. 36: Why is it hard to guarantee that foods are GM free? It is very easy for gmo's to enter our food chain and it is difficult to track them down. 37: What is subsistence agriculture? In the mercy of the weather, year round pests and poor soil farmers are unable to afford pesticides. Farmers are barely able to feed their families. 38: Why did Monsanto invest in the sweet potato for Africa? What were the results? It does not cost Monsanto much to create a genetically modified sweet potato. In the future, when the sweet potatoes are doing good, the farmers will become more rich and invest money into monsanto. The diseased plant were small and the gm plant was doing very well. Gm variety was large and healthy. Organic potato could not compete. Part VIIII: Feeding the World 39: What is one of the biggest problems with soil in farming in parts of Mexico? Toxic aluminum greatly reduces the amount of productivity in crops like corn. 40: Why do people resist the idea of helping people with GM foods? They only focus on the negative side of GM foods. Part X: Success and Challenges 41: How much money did Monsanto donate toward the world agriculture project? 2,500 42: What other actions have the ELF taken? Have targeted other companies producing genetically modified organisms. 43: The genetic Salmon have been engineered to grow ____ x larger than regular Salmon. 4 44: What is special about the transgenic Salmon? They reach their full size in 1 quarter of the time it takes a normal salmon to grow.

45: What is the good genes hypothesis? If a male is large, the male must be able to secure his resources. Part XI: Population Problems 46: What did the model tell us about what would happen if the transgenic fish escaped and ended up mating with regular fish? The transgenic fish would have a competitive advantage over the non transgenic male fish. Women fish prefer bigger male fish. The fish population could go to extinction because the non transgenic fish would not be able to mate. 47: What other GM products are in development? Explain the plans for bananas. Other GM products that are in development are genetically modified sweet potatoes and medicines. They are planning to put a vaccine into bananas so that third world countries will be able to have an edible vaccine. 48: What is golden rice and how it is helpful? Explain. Golden rice is a type of rice that contains vitamin A. It will be helpful for children so that they will be able to get the vitamin A they need in their bodies. Part VII: The Future of GM Products 49: Why are biotech companies worried about labeling GM products? They are worried because some people might believe that GM products are not safe. If GM products are labeled and someones body reacts to it, they will be held reliable. 50: Why do labels reduce Americans fear of GM food? Americans fear GM food because it is a relatively new thing and we are not 100% sure if it is safe for humans. November 2012- California voters rejected Prop 37, which would have required retailers and food companies to label products made with genetically modified ingredients. 51: In spite of the fact that people in focus groups stated that they would rather see GM foods labeled, proposition 37 was rejected by Californians in November 2012. Voters were concerned about the increased costs of products that would be forced to be labeled. What is your opinion of labeling? I believe that in this current day-and-age it would be a lot simpler for many people if Proposition 37 stayed inactive. Although it is important to know what exactly you are eating, people now do not care that much, and for them saving money is more important. Eventually, we should put Prop 37 into action, but right now we should focus on more urgent issues like the greenhouse effect and other environmental problems.