What does it mean to be genetically modified?

Driving through corn and soybean fields in Wisconsin, Amanda Maxham, Ph.D, a writer and Research Associate with the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, found herself contemplating what it means to be “genetically modified.” She writes:

Staring out at the farms as we went by, I was also thinking about what it means for a plant or an animal to be called a genetically modified organism (GMO). Much of the corn I saw rushing by was “genetically modified.” Genetic modification generally refers to the technology of inserting, removing, or turning up or down certain genes within the corn plant. Plant scientists have used their understanding of DNA to insert genes into corn that improve it in significant ways, such as making it resistant to insects.

But how different is this “genetic modification” from what mankind has been doing to its food for thousands of years?

Read the full, original story here: “Of cows and corn: What does it mean to be genetically modified? (#GMOMonday)” 

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}

Related Articles

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Infographic: Global regulatory and health research agencies on whether glyphosate causes cancer

Does glyphosate—the world's most heavily-used herbicide—pose serious harm to humans? Is it carcinogenic? Those issues are of both legal and ...

Most Popular

Screenshot-2026-04-23-at-11.00.36-AM
Regulators' dilemma: Thalidomide, Metformin, and the cost of getting drug approvals wrong
Picture1-5
Science Disinformation Gap: The transatlantic battle over social media and censorship
ChatGPT-Image-May-13-2026-11_56_08-AM
After slashing global health aid by $19 Billion, Trump moves to tap $2.1 billion more—to cover shutdown costs
ChatGPT-Image-May-12-2026-08_39_41-PM
GLP podcast: Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Food—health harming industries or life-saving innovators?
ChatGPT Image May 10, 2026, 08_16_59 PM 2
Overmedicalization? RFK Jr.’s antidepressant crackdown raises conflict questions over his fee stake in Wisner Baum, the tort firm built on suing drug makers
Screenshot-2026-05-12-at-9.58.31-PM
'He seems fine': Marty Makary out as FDA commissioner
Picture1-1
Cooling the planet with balloons: Could a geoengineering gamble slow global warming?
Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.29.41-PM
Viewpoint: What happens when whole grains meet modern food manufacturing? Labels don’t tell the whole story.
ChatGPT-Image-Apr-13-2026-02_20_22-PM
Viewpoint: Misinformation infodemic? Why assessing evidence is so challenging 
Screenshot-2026-05-11-104424
Hantavirus outbreak research: Trump administration shut down study last year on rodent-to-human transmission
S
As vaccine rejectionism spreads, measles may be taking a more dangerous turn
images
The never-ending GMO debate: Pros and cons
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.