This document discusses biotechnology and genetically modified foods. It begins by defining biotechnology and describing how media has portrayed it. It then examines the ethical, legal, and social effects of biotechnology. Several criticisms of genetically modified foods are outlined related to allergens, toxins, and stability. Examples of genetically engineered plant and animal combinations are provided. The document concludes by discussing the debate around using biotechnology to solve world hunger versus potential human and environmental health risks.

1. The Biotechnology
Ripple Effect
Ethics? Legal?
Social?
Caleb Henderson
Global Studies Club
3/17/14

2. The Field of Biotechnology
 Bioengineering-An alteration or manipulation of one or
more organisms to create an enhanced gene or
function, not occurring naturally in the organism(s)
 Media and politics has demonized the meaning and
practices of biotechnology
 Help cure cancers, infectious diseases, chronic diseases,
viruses, and other illnesses

3. Ethical Effects of Biotech
 Moral philosophy
 The integrity of the labs…Do we trust credible sources
based on positive or negative psychology/behavior, in
terms of research studies?
 Do you believe the field of Biotech has lost its
credibility?

4. Legal Effects of Biotech
 Patenting new discoveries in the lab
 Lobbyists for the scientific discoveries and research
 Budgeting for the laboratory experimentation
 Grants and funding from the federal and state
government

5. Social Effects of Biotech
 Social interactions within our society, our community,
our nation, our media, our internet, and the books we
read
 For example, social media covers many topic that
showcase controversial issues such as these: the Human
Genome Project, abortion, animal rights, environmental
concerns, capital punishment, homosexuality, marijuana
gene therapy, or nuclear war
 Isolate cheek cells from our mouth to collect a sample
of our own DNA to purify and have for keepsakes

6. The Purpose of Genetically
Engineered Foods
 Disease resistance
 Pest resistance
 Herbicide tolerance
 Cold tolerance

7. Are GM foods safe?
 Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be
safe.
 Chemical pesticides on plants
 Transgenic animals
 Allergenic reactions
 Cross-plant contamination

8. How are GM foods biologically
different from traditional foods?
 Color (appearance)
 Size
 Drought tolerance
 Desired traits
 Taste
 Smell

9. Criticisms against GMOs
 Allergens
 Toxins
 Stability
 Nutrition

10. Interesting Combinations
 Spider genes were inserted into goat DNA, in hopes that the goat milk
would contain spider web protein for use in bulletproof vests.
 Cow genes turned pigskins into cowhides.
 Jellyfish genes lit up pigs’ noses in the dark.
 Artic fish genes gave tomatoes and strawberries tolerance to frost.
 Potatoes that glowed in the dark when they needed watering.
 Human genes were inserted into corn to produce spermicide.
 Corn engineered with human genes (Dow)
 Sugarcane engineered with human genes (Hawaii Agriculture Research
Center)
 Corn engineered with jellyfish genes (Stanford University)
 Tobacco engineered with lettuce genes (University of Hawaii)
 Rice engineered with human genes (Applied Phytologics)
 Corn engineered with hepatitis virus genes (Prodigene)

11. Pictures

12. Transgenic Crops

13. Conclusion
 Ethics, Legality, and Desired traits from GMO crops
 Marketing/Farming
 Potential to solve world hunger
 Human health risks
 Environmental effects to monarch butterflies and
bees

14. Sources
 http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/
 www.seedsnow.com
 gmo-freephoenix.com
 www.atyourpalate.com
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carole-bartolotto/why-genetically-
modified-food_b_4039114.html
 http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/
 http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd
=&cad=rja&docid=Aj37FYU1c5sOhM&tbnid=ByNXYa2nPAbA4M:&ved=0CA
QQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scq.ubc.ca%2Ftransgenic-crops-how-
genetics-is-providing-new-ways-to-envision-
agriculture%2F&ei=SmyrUujFJZDuoATltILADw&bvm=bv.57967247,d.cGU&
psig=AFQjCNGehoHcCDNS1vfNzKw_huwbLBRJlg&ust=1387052205464799
 http://what-are-gmo.com/?page_id=2
 http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_M
yths_and_Truths_1.3b.pdf

15. Sources
 Nouna Bakhiet, Ph.D.
 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=SI8imdSZAsG
9TM&tbnid=LX0f0znz7Ynn1M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediahex.com%2FTransgenic_O
rganism&ei=8GyrUpewL5DnoASQpoHwCQ&bvm=bv.57967247,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNGehoHcCDNS1vfNzKw_
huwbLBRJlg&ust=1387052205464799
 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=S4ZnxH5gf9M
s8M&tbnid=7tESXpSQHcZ02M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkanat.jsc.vsc.edu%2Fstudent%2Fgilb
ert%2Fmain.htm&ei=Qm2rUuqSI8HgoASsxYKoBg&bvm=bv.57967247,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNGehoHcCDNS1vf
NzKw_huwbLBRJlg&ust=1387052205464799
 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=Qpx3IdQ2jrNuOM&tbni
d=qwZpC6cm_EKYaM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwhat-are-
gmo.com%2F%3Fpage_id%3D2&ei=G26rUvb8IIbioATs44HQAw&bvm=bv.57967247,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNGeh
oHcCDNS1vfNzKw_huwbLBRJlg&ust=1387052205464799
 http://www.gmeducation.org/faqs/p149248-a-brief-history-of-genetic-modification.html
 http://transgenicorganisms.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-are-transgenic-organism ...
 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&docid=jR7Pp_PEB1O3LM&tbn
id=gO0zNSdT2HFN-M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.non-
gmoreport.com%2Farticles%2Fmay2012%2Fmonsantoforgmolabeling.php&ei=qwGsUs2RL4j2oASgyYGgCQ
&bvm=bv.57967247,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNEjLmUb8MkFCBFS3mc6Qnmf5ArrrA&ust=1387090595500996

16. Q and A Discussion