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Monday, January 17, 2011

GMO

How do you feel about genetically modified foods?

I don't really know how I feel about them... Do you remember learning about Gregor Mendel? if you don't you should read about him! His pea experiment is very interesting. What about when you asked your mom if you planted your apple core and seeds, would an apple tree grow? My mom told me yes, that if I planted my fruit seeds plants would grow.

Basically, as I can understand it, some people decided they would alter the genetic structure of certain plants to create seeds that had desirable traits. Since they had altered the genetic structure of the seed (let's pretend it's my apple) then it isn't really an apple anymore, it's their own breed of fruit that looks like an apple and has advantageous apple qualities, and that person or group of people invented it, so they owned it. Since they invented the "apple look-a-like but not genetically an apple" piece of fruit they can take out a patent on it though the government. If I ate a piece of fruit grown from their seeds and planted the core and grew a fruit tree it would be their tree because they own that breed of fruit.

It makes sense as far as governmental policy is concerned I suppose. but what happens when all the real apples die and all that's left is the "genetically not an apple lookalike" that's owned by a person or group of people? A person can own all the fruit we call apples? That seems strange.

I found this cool website that helps you use your vote to purchase non-GMO foods and stick to the basic publicly owned ones.

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