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Emma Smith
Mrs. Stemen
BioTech
4 February 2015
The Truth about GMO's
For years, people have been on the fence about genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
being a risk to humans. And for just as long, scientists have been experimenting on foods and
organisms, and modifying them to make human lives better. Although, some people do not think
that GMOs are helping. Research has shown that the use of protein synthesis and the popular
gene splicing method of genetic engineering used to change DNA for GMOs are not as risky as
people claim.
Firstly, protein synthesis is the process of splitting double helix DNA strand and turning it
into proteins. Protein synthesis begins in the nucleus, where DNA is turned into messenger-RNA
(mRNA) by transcription. This is done by the DNA uncoiling and giving the needed information
for a strand of mRNA (Ck12 Science 1). The mRNA is then transferred to the Rough E.R. for
linking up to amino acids. The transfer-RNA (tRNA) pairs up with a certain amino acid, and
takes it, one at a time, to be linked up to the strand of mRNA (Ck12 Science 1). Once the amino
acid from the tRNA links up with the matching mRNA, the tRNA takes off to bring another
amino acid to another mRNA strand (Ck12 Science 1). After all the corresponding amino acids
are linked to an mRNA strand, by the process of translation, a new protein is created, and the
process of protein synthesis is completed.
Secondly, there is the need to understand genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is the
changing of a gene of a living organism by using differentiating ways, such as slightly changing

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DNA, inserting new copies of genes, taking genes from one organism and combining them with
another, and other ways (YourGenome 1). One popular method of genetic engineering is the
method of gene splicing. This process is when certain genes or clusters of genes are taken from
one organism and put into a different organism's genome (JRank 1). The process of gene splicing
starts by enzymes splitting a DNAs strands of a certain sequence, or cluster, of specific genes
(Smith 1). The gene splicing outcome is a series of separated pieces of DNA, each of which are
the same kind of gene (Smith 1). The newly spliced genes are then implemented into the genome
of the desired organism.
And lastly, doing anything with science poses a risk especially when altering an
organism's genes. And many people think GMO's pose a risk to humans, and they do not. Today's
advances in science are growing faster and faster than they ever have before, and genetic
engineering is just a part of the process. Claims against genetic engineering and GMO's say that
"the technology of genetic engineering is currently very crude (IRT 1)," however, scientists have
only been experimenting with genetic engineering for a little over 40 years GMOs have only
been in food supplies for 20 years (FDA 1). Being "crude" is not quite the case; scientists are
continually advancing their methods. The advances in biotechnology will someday greatly
influence society it already is. People eat genetically engineered foods all the time, without
even knowing so. Yet the GMO's people eat today are only genetically engineered with resistance
to pesticides, and other things that keep it from fully growing. There are claims that call genetic
engineering "unethical," but what is so unethical about it? Slightly changing the DNA of an
organism for the better is not wrong, it is helping. Also, the FDA encourages developers of
GMO's to consult them before developers market the products to ensure the public's safety.

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And in conclusion, people all over the world take risks every day, getting on a bus or
plane that could inevitably crash, and people still choose to do so. Now, research shows that
GMOs are not risky, by protein synthesis and genetic engineering. So taking small risks for
advances in technology and the better of humanity cannot be so wrong. If scientists have been
doing it for years, why should they have to stop now?

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Works Cited
Ck12 Science. "Protein Synthesis." Ck12. Ck12, 25 June 2013. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
FDA. "Questions & Answers on Food from Genetically Engineered Plants." U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 22 July 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
IRT. "The GE Process." Institute for Responsible Technology. Institute for Responsible
Technology, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
JRank. "Gene Splicing." JRank Articles. Net Industries, n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Smith, Michelle. "Genetic Engineering." Genetic Engineering. Worldcon, n.d. Web. 04 Feb.
2015.
YourGenome. "What Is Genetic Engineering?" YourGenome. YourGenome, 22 Dec. 2014. Web.
04 Feb. 2015.