WHAT IT IS: Wouldn't it be nice if we had drought resistant corn? Well, in 2013 Monsanto released its first transgenic drought resistant genetically modified corn called DroughtGard which is made from the gene cspB (cold shock protein B) which comes from a microbe Bacillus Subtilis in the soil. This GMO allows the corn to grow 24% more in drought conditions than normal. The gene cspB acts as a RNA helper which helps the organism to maintain normal physical performance during bad times by binding and untangling tangled RNA molecules so that they can function properly and more efficiently.
PURPOSE: This GMO was made because of how useful it is. The bacteria is good and was crossed with corn because it works like normal performance in the cold and heat and in droughts. This gene helps because when flowering if there is a drought the plant will abort some individual grains which will mean a loss of profit at harvest time. Monsanto recognized the opportunity to make a new corn that was genetically modified to be able to still be efficient in droughts and they made the GMO.
PROS: 1) GMOs can make foods taste better and make them more juicier or firm depending on the organism. 2) GMOs could also make a food have more nutrients. 3) GMOs could make a organism be more resistant to bugs or make more food with out the added trouble.
CONS: 1) GMOs could be bad for us in the long term because we have not had them long enough to know. 2) GMOs could be to strong out in the wild and kill out our original species of that kind. 3) If GMOs are not labeled correctly people with allergies would be at high risk of eating a GMOd product and getting an allergic reaction to what has been put in the food.
MY STANCE: I am not for GMOs because of them being new and not being tested under long term affects. I don't think that we should need to change the food we eat just so that it makes us happier because of the color or texture that it is. Food is used to power our bodies not and I don't want my body being powered by some chemicals that could do who knows what to my body under long term use. Now if GMOs are in something that I don't eat like a tree to make it grow quicker or to have stronger wood that I might be OK with it but I don't want to have genetically modified food out on the market because of the possible consequences/problems.
REFERENCES: I referenced "https://gmoanswers.com/ask/what-are-genes-genetically-modified-corn" for the types of genes that have been put into genetically modified corn. I also went to "https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef130" to learn what but corn was and how it works. Finally when I had decided on what gene I was going to focus on I went to "https://www.biofortified.org/2012/08/monsantos-gm-drought-tolerant-corn/" to learn about the gene and the company that had made the gmo.
Credits:
Created with images by kate.fisher - "Shuck corn from the bottom up for flawless ears without the silk!" • Jonathan Lidbeck - "California Ground Squirrel (?)" • CraneStation - "Drought Stressed Corn Western Tennessee/Kentucky Border" • Skitterphoto - "corn field blue sky countryside"