SCI

ENCE,TECHNOLOGYANDSOCI
ETY
MYOWNGMO
NAME:Patr
ickA.Zapues DATE:
SECTI
ON:Beed-1A SCORE:

I
NSTRUCTION: Conceptual
i
ze your own GMO, t hi
nk of the feat
ures or
char
act
eri
sti
cst
hatyoui
maginei
tpossessesandi
tspot
enti
ali
mpactsonsoci
ety.

Answert
hegui
dequest
ionst
hatf
oll
ow.

I
LLUSTRATI
ON:
(adr
awi
ngorapi
ctur
ethatr
esembl
esyourownGMO)

“
Genet
ical
l
yModi
fi
edTomat
o”
GUI
DEQUESTI
ONS:

1.Whati
syourGMO,i
tsmodi
fi
edchar
act
eri
sti
csandf
eat
ures?
✓ MyownGMO i
scal
l
edGenet
ical
l
yModi
fi
edTomat
o.I
tsmodi
fi
edchar
act
eri
sti
cs
andf
eat
urei
scol
orpur
plel
i
ket
hest
arappl
eandaneggpl
ant
.Thi
stomat
osi
zei
s
al
somor
ebi
gandmor
eroundi
nshaper
athert
hant
heusualt
omat
oeswesee.For
yout
oknow,t
hismodi
fi
edt
omat
ocont
ainsmanynut
ri
ent
sincl
udi
nganant
ioxi
dant
cal
l
ed l
ycopene.Thi
slycopenehasabenef
it
swher
eint
houghtt
o pl
ayar
olei
n
pr
event
ingcancer
.Asi
def
rom t
hat
,itpr
oducel
argequant
it
iesofpot
ent
ial
l
yheal
th
boost
ing compoundsi
ncl
udi
ng f
lavanol
sand ant
hocyani
ns,i
mpr
oved and bet
ter
t
ast
e,envi
ronment
alst
resst
oler
anceandar
egr
ownwi
thf
ewerf
ert
il
i
zer
s,pest
ici
des
andher
beci
deswhi
chi
sposi
ti
vef
orenvi
ronment
.Notonl
ythat
,thi
sengi
neer
ed
t
omat
owi
l
lnotsof
tenwhi
l
eri
peni
ngont
hevi
ne,pr
eser
vedi
tsphysi
calappear
ance,
st
ayf
ir
m dur
ingshi
ppi
ng,havet
hei
rnat
uralf
lavor
sandhaveal
ongershel
fli
fe.Thi
s
GMO ar
elesssuscept
ibl
etot
hewhatwecal
l
edf
ungusBot
ryt
isci
ner
eat
hant
hose
nor
malt
omat
oes.Al
so,i
tcanr
educet
heecol
ogi
calf
oot
pri
ntoft
omat
opr
oduct
ion
whi
l
eatt
hesamet
imei
ncr
easef
armi
ncome.

2.Inwhatwaysdoyout
hinkt
hisGMO canposi
ti
vel
yimpact
soci
ety?
✓ Weal
lknow t
hathumanpopul
ati
onhasgr
ow abr
eakneckpaceandt
hreat
enst
o
f
urt
herexacer
bat
eapr
obl
em t
hathaswor
senedi
nrecentyear
s.I
naccor
dancewi
th
t
hat
,tomywayoft
hinki
ng,t
hisGMOcanposi
ti
vel
yimpactt
hesoci
etybyhel
pingt
o
sol
vehungeri
ssuesi
ndevel
opi
ngcount
ri
esbyi
ncr
easi
nghar
vestyi
elds,i
mpr
oved
nut
ri
ti
onalval
ue and makeshi
gheref
fi
ciencyi
nfar
ming causi
ng f
armer
ssaves
moneyi
nlaborandcul
ti
vat
ion.Genet
ical
l
ymodi
fi
edcr
opsl
i
ket
hiscoul
dhel
pto
r
eli
evet
hispr
obl
em bybei
ngmor
eresi
stantt
oenvi
ronment
alst
ressorsuchaspest
s
andvi
ruses.Byhavi
ngt
hismodi
fi
edcr
op,f
armer
swi
l
lbeabl
etousel
essi
nput
sand
enabl
i
ngt
hem ashi
ftt
olowert
il
l
age,r
esul
ti
ngt
oreducet
hei
renvi
ronment
alf
oot
pri
nt.
Asar
esul
toft
hesemet
hods,l
esst
imei
sspentonat
ract
or,l
essf
ueli
sut
il
i
zed,and
f
ewerpol
l
utant
sar
epr
oduced.Engi
neer
edcr
opsl
i
ket
omat
oal
sohel
ptol
essen
envi
ronment
ali
mpactbymaki
ngbet
teruseofpl
antpr
otect
ionpr
oduct
s,usi
ngl
ess
spaceofl
andt
opr
oducemor
efood,andmosti
mpor
tant
ly,pr
otect
ingbi
odi
ver
sit
y,
whi
chal
l
owsawi
devar
iet
yofpl
ant
sandani
mal
stoexi
sti
nanenvi
ronment
.Fur
ther
,
t
his GMO wi
l
lcont
ri
but
eto sust
ainabi
l
it
y oft
he envi
ronmentwhi
ch keep t
hei
r
desi
rabl
echar
act
eri
sti
csevent
hought
her
eisacl
i
mat
echange.Thi
swi
l
lpr
ovi
de
economi
cbenef
it
stomi
l
li
onsofconsumer
s.

3.Whatet
hical
issuesorconcer
nsmayar
iseasar
esul
toft
his
GMO?
✓ Theet
hicali
ssuesorconcer
nst
hatmayar
iseasar
esul
toft
hisGMO ar
eal
l
ergi
c
r
eact
ions(
all
ergeni
cit
y),genemut
ati
on,t
ransf
erofant
ibi
oti
cresi
stance,di
srupt
ionof
nat
ural
communi
ti
es,r
ecombi
nat
ionofvi
rusandbact
eri
atopr
oducenewpat
hogens
andnut
ri
ti
onalval
ue.I
nmyownunder
standi
ng,f
ir
sti
sal
l
ergi
nici
ty,i
tmayt
ri
gger
ed
al
l
ergi
creact
ionsmor
esocr
eat
enew onest
hatcoul
dhaveasi
deef
fectofgene
al
ter
ati
on.Second i
sgene mut
ati
on,i
tmaydevel
op abnor
mal
i
ti
esand mut
ati
on
mor
ethant
hedesi
redpr
oductoft
hegeneal
ter
ati
on.Nexti
str
ansf
erofant
ibi
oti
c
r
esi
stancewher
eiti
sdi
ff
icul
twhenourbodybecomesr
esi
stantt
oant
ibi
oti
cbecause
t
hismaycausedi
seasecausi
ngbact
eri
atobemor
eant
ibi
oti
cresi
stantt
oo.Whena
genet
ical
l
ymodi
fi
edpl
anti
seat
en,i
tsgenescanbepassedont
omi
crobesi
nthe
human orani
maldi
gest
ive t
ract
.The bact
eri
a coul
d devel
op r
esi
stance t
othat
speci
fi
cant
ibi
oti
c.Onemor
eis
suei
sdi
srupt
ionofnat
uralcommuni
ti
eswher
ein
t
her
ewi
l
lbedi
srupt
ionanddest
ruct
ioni
nfoodchai
nandf
oodwebi
nanecos
yst
em
t
hroughcompet
it
ion.Asi
def
rom t
hat
,anot
heri
ssueorconcer
nisr
ecombi
nat
ionof
vi
rusandbact
eri
atopr
oducenew pat
hogens,t
hiscoul
dbedanger
ousbecause
modi
fi
edgenesmayl
eadt
ovi
ralorbact
eri
algenemodi
fi
cat
ionormut
ati
onand
t
her
eisabi
gchancet
hati
twi
l
ltr
iggernewdeadf
uldi
seasest
hatcanaf
fectani
mal
s,
pl
ant
sandwor
st,humanbei
ngs
.Last
lyi
snut
ri
ti
onalval
uewher
einduet
oal
ter
ati
on
i
ngenes,t
her
ewoul
dal
soal
ter
ati
oni
nthenut
ri
ti
onofor
gani
sm.