Every living organism in this world is made up of one or more cells...agreed??..the cell contains the control house called as the nucleus..this nucleus contains what is called as a "chromosome'...which is nothing but tightly coiled DNA strands.....this DNA contains our genes...the genes contain all the information about a particular organism...from the tiniest of the bacteria to the blue whale...the DNA 'controls' this information..the DNA however is never static..it keeps on changing due to environmental factors....slowly..generation after generation..nature loves to play around with our DNA..it gives a unique combination of genes from the parents to the offspring...and this is the reason that everyone everywhere is different!..
well...in genetic modification, we "TWEAK" the genes of a particular plant, thereby giving it the desired change and re-introduce the gene into other plants of the same species to get the desired result..........pretty vague huh??...lets go slow on this one...
When a plant is exposed to constant water shortage...its offspring becomes capable of surviving in it.....this is called ADAPTATION this happens the changes in the climate has effected the plant at the genetic level..and THAT has made it resistant to drought.......sometimes, this adaptation can happen in one swift change....this is called mutation...mutation by itself is not evil..its not what happens when a radioactive spider bites you and u turn into some blooming freako...no...it is...well...kinda necessary...without mutation..we would still have been single celled organisms...genetic modification does nothing special but makes use of this mutation in a controlled manner...
But..what exactly is the use of genetic modification in FOOD??....
Well.....today we need to feed billions of people...and the land area is not increasing..(duh!)..so..the only way we can increase the food production is by increasing the yield per hectare...this can be done by
1)using lot of fertilizers, manure and high grade soil......too costly...
2)wait and selectively reed high yield plants.....it will take bout 200 years to produce enough food for TODAY'S population...and what will be the population condition then??....
3)grow G.M. plants....cheap...safe and quick
biotechnology gives a helping hand here..the genes that are slowly modified over 200 odd years can be easily modified in a matter of minutes in a lab..the new modified gene is put in the place of the old one and......the process is done!..THIS is called genetic modification..it involves bringing about changes, which require hundreds of years, in a short time..this process is cheaper and DEFINITELY better than organic foods..
But most of the ppl are of the opinion that eating genetically modified food will genetically modify YOU!..it will cause irritability and diseases like cancer..what a load of bull c**p..speaking in reality, G.M. foods will neither cause any genetic, nor any normal disease..because the new genes are just like the old ones..neither does the taste or any other parameter vary cos they are not interfered with...G.M. plants under experimentation are grown only in well protected enclosed areas..only the ones which have passed the strictest of the existing protocol are let to be grown outside in fields...all precautions are taken care of..and there is an assurance that u'll be safe eatin it..and yet..you can see half knowledged ppl taking out rallies on the roads showing themselves as growing a third eyejust because B.T. brinjal was let into the market...all that the ppl need to do is..grow up..and look for new possibilities...if we didnt try the new things such as a motor car or something simpler as the wheel or fire...where do u think we would have been now....stone age??...we gotta evolve not only physically..but also mentally....thats what human nature is all about...we shpould be searchin for solutions in the problem...not for problems in the solution...
{a special thanks to my cousin B. MANOJ PRAJWAL for helpin me answer this thing......}
