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Transcript
Genetically Modified Organisms by Mr Anderson (Head of Science at Ampleforth College) Mr Anderson hosted this week’s Lyceum about genetically modified organisms, a rather controversial subject. Firstly, Mr Anderson pointed out that humans have changed the genes of many organisms, by selective breeding, since farming began. He gave the example of a cauliflower which, like cabbages, sprouts and kale, originated from the wild mustard. He also made the point that, with a rapidly increasing world population, lack of food could become a serious problem. Genetically modifying organisms in the laboratory could convey many benefits to mankind. For example, we could prevent over 5 million deaths from occurring in children under the age of 5 if we were to genetically modify rice so that when humans consume the food it would produce more Vitamin A. This would be an amazing change that could save many lives. However, just like many modifications, there are problems. Are we tampering with nature too much and could there be unforeseen health issues? These are just two points that have been put forward to prevent this type of rice (also known as golden rice) from being grown and used. Currently in the United Kingdom there are no GM crops whilst only 10% of farmland in the USA and Brazil is used for GM Crops. During the session we used UV lights to observe genetically modified bacteria. These bacteria had had a gene inserted which was originally from a luminescent jelly fish. The bacteria were therefore able to glow green in UV light. It was quite scary! Did you know there were Spider Goats in the world? Neither did we! Taking certain genes that perform a certain task, snipping them and attaching them to other genes can allow scientists to create some bizarre organisms. Goats are being bred with spider genes which code for silk production. Once the goat is milked, the milk can be purified and the scientists are left with silk fibres. These fibres are extremely strong and can be used for many structural purposes, including in the human body. Incredible! Overall, it was a fascinating Lyceum and one that sparked many questions and much debate. Sophie and Imogen Year 8