CAPT Embedded Task: Biotechnology: Should There Be a Mandatory Label on GM Foods?

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Genetic Engineering
Recombinant DNA Technology Genetic
Engineering involves______________________________
______ ___________________________________________
_______ Transgenic Organisms
are_____________________________________
___________ Ex Glo-Fish. Glo-Fish contain a
gene, originally from a specie of sea coral, that
is responsible for the luminescent Glow.
the cutting of fragments of DNA
from one organism and inserting them into a host
organisms genome.
the organisms that are the recipients
of foreign DNA.
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Genetic Engineering
Transgenic Animals Transgenic animals have
been used to study genes and to improve the food
supply. Strains of mice have been produced with
human genes that make their immune systems act
similarly to those of humans. This allows
scientists to study the effects of diseases on
the human immune system. Transgenic livestock
have been produced with extra copies of growth
hormone genes. Such animals grow faster and
produce meat that is less fatty than that from
ordinary animals.
Efforts are now underway to produce
transgenic chickens that will be resistant to the
bacterial infections that sometimes cause food
poisoning.
A Jersey calf whose cells were modified with
genes for producing lysostaphin, a protein that
kills Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, a leading
cause of mastitis disease in dairy cows. She is
the first transgenic cow clone engineered to
resist mastitis, which costs the U.S. dairy
industry 1.7 billion a year.
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Genetic Engineering
Transgenic Plants Transgenic plants are now
an important part of our food supply. In the year
2000, 52 percent of the soybeans and 25 percent
of the corn grown in the United States were
transgenic, or genetically modified (GM). Many of
these plants contain genes that produce a natural
insecticide, so the crops do not have to be
sprayed with synthetic pesticides. Others have
genes that enable them to resist weed-killing
chemicals, allowing farmers to grow more food by
controlling weeds.
Transgenic plants may soon produce human
antibodies that can be used to fight disease.
One of the most important new developments in GM
foods is a rice plant that adds vitamin A to
rice, the major food for billions of the worlds
people.
Corn engineered to produce the Bt toxin reduces
the impact of European corn borers
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Genetic Engineering
More and more farmers are using Genetically
Modified (GM) crops to help increase profits and
reduce the use of pesticides. Should the
foods you buy have mandatory labels?
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CAPT Embedded TaskBiotechnology Should There
Be a Mandatory Label on GM Foods?
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Exemplary 8 Proficiency 6 Developing 4 Insufficient 2
Persuasive Content There is a prominent stand on labeling and it is fully supported with appropriate personal or factual information. There is a clear stand on labeling and provides some support. There is a stand on a position, but is not very clear. There was some support, but it was poorly done. There is an attempt to find a stand, but it did not achieve the task. There is some information, but it does not help support any stand.
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• Choose a GM Food to Analyze
• Once you have chosen a GM Food, visit
  www.gmo-compass.org and research the necessary
  information for your brochure. The website will
  have a grocery shopping drop down bar and a
  selection of GM Foods to choose from. Use this
  site to help research the following information
• What makes the product genetically modified?
• What is the benefit of genetically modifying
  this product?
• What are the current research methods on this
  product?
• Does this product require a label? If so, why?
• How does the genetically modified product
  impact the environment?
• Use this information to help you address the
  issues with the applications of GM products. Use
  a full panel on your brochure to fulfill this
  component of your assignment.

• Genetically Modified Tomatoes
• Transgenic tomatoes (FlavrSavr) have a
  "deactivated" gene. This meant that the tomato
  plant was no longer able to produce an enzyme
  involved in fruit softening.
• The premise was that tomatoes could be left to
  ripen on the vine and still have a long shelf
  life, thus allowing them to develop their full
  flavor.
• Scientists are still working with genetic tools
  to give tomatoes new traits like resistance to
  insect pests and fungal and viral pathogens
• Etc. etc.

GM Food to AnalyzeExample Tomatoes
Choose a GM Food to AnalyzeUse a full panel in
the brochure!