Genetic Engineered food and animal products

genetic engineered food and animal products.
During the past decade, biotechnology companies commercialized the first generation of genetically engineered crops—primarily corn, soybeans, and cotton altered to control insects and weeds. U.S. commodity crop producers responded by planting millions of acres of these engineered crops. Because corn and soy are widely used in food processing, small amounts of engineered ingredients show up in a majority of processed food products. But most foods—the vast majority of vegetables, grains, fruits, and nuts—remain unaltered. Of the eight other engineered food plants allowed in U.S. grocery stores, it appears that only engineered canola and papaya are currently available.
Among food animals, only engineered fish are under active consideration by U.S. regulators. Other engineered plants, animals, and microbes are farther down the research pipeline but few are poised for introduction in the near future.


Recently, a second wave of biotech products began emerging—crops, mainly corn, engineered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial and research chemicals. Several such products are already on the market and companies are seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration of corn-based drugs and vaccines.

Scientists are concerned that engineered organisms might harm people’s health or the environment. For example, engineered crops might contaminate the food supply with drugs, kill beneficial insects, or jeopardize valuable natural resources like Bt toxins. Engineered fish may substantially alter native ecosystems, perhaps even driving wild populations to extinction.

To protect human health and the environment from engineered products, we need strong federal oversight and active citizen participation.

What Implications Does Behavioral Genetics Research Have For Society?

Researchers in the field of behavioral genetics have asserted claims for a genetic basis of numerous physical behaviors, including homosexuality, aggression, impulsivity, and nurturing. A growing scientific and popular focus on genes and behavior has contributed to a resurgence of behavioral genetic determinism—the belief that genetics is the major factor in determining behavior.
Are behaviors inbred, written indelibly in our genes as immutable biological imperatives, or is the environment more important in shaping our thoughts and actions? Such questions cycle through society repeatedly, forming the public nexus of the "nature vs. nurture controversy," a strange locution to biologists, who recognize that behaviors exist only in the context of environmental influence. Nonetheless, the debate flares anew every few years, reigniting in response to genetic analyses of traits such as intelligence, criminality, or homosexuality, characteristics freighted with social, political, and legal meaning.
What social consequences would genetic diagnoses of such traits as intelligence, criminality, or homosexuality have on society? What effect would the discovery of a behavioral trait associated with increased criminal activity have on our legal system? If we find a "gay gene," will it mean greater or lesser tolerance? Will it lead to proposals that those affected by the "disorder" should undergo treatment to be "cured" and that measures should be taken to prevent the birth of other individuals so afflicted?
There are several scientific obstacles to correlating genotype (an individual's genetic endowment) and behavior. One problem is in defining a specific endpoint that characterizes a condition, be it schizophrenia or intelligence. Another problem is in identifying and excluding other possible causes of the condition, thereby permitting a determination of the significance of a supposed correlation. Much current research on genes and behavior also engenders very strong feelings because of the potential social and political consequences of accepting these supposed truths. Thus, more than any other aspect of genetics, discoveries in behavioral genetics should not be viewed as irrefutable until there has been substantial scientific corroboration.
How do genes influence behavior?
No single gene determines a particular behavior. Behaviors are complex traits involving multiple genes that are affected by a variety of other factors. This fact often gets overlooked in media reports hyping scientific breakthroughs on gene function, and, unfortunately, this can be very misleading to the public.
For example, a study published in 1999 claimed that overexpression of a particular gene in mice led to enhanced learning capacity. The popular press referred to this gene as "the learning gene" or the "smart gene." What the press didn't mention was that the learning enhancements observed in this study were short-term, lasting only a few hours to a few days in some cases.