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GMOs in agriculture are just one small part of a much bigger story. GMO science and its applications are everywhere around us. And GMO technology is saving lives every day.
GMOS are found in life-enhancing and life-saving medicines. Take diabetes. In the past insulin was derived from slaughtered pigs and sometimes caused allergic reactions. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, scientists developed a new form of insulin made by genetically modified bacteria. GMO proteins like this “actually have an enhanced safety profile.”
Several forms of cancer, including brain, colorectal and cervical, are commonly treated with a marvel of GMO technology called Avastin bevacizumab. People who suffer from anemia, many take epoetin alfa, a hormone produced through genetic modification.
GMO vaccines to fight cholera, malaria, and many other diseases for which non-GMO methods have proved ineffective are under development.
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Even the enzymes used in laundry detergents today have been genetically modified. These enzymes have benefitted the environment by enabling the use of energy saving cold water washing.
The examples I shared come from other industries and companies – not agriculture and not Monsanto. They illustrate a simple point: GMOs are important, pervasive and often unrecognized part of our daily lives. When people take an overly narrow and reductionist view of GMO science, when they see it as dealing only with crops, this vital perspective is easily lost. We need to be able to use science — including genetic modification — to help solve problems we face today and tomorrow.
Read full, original post: Surprise! GMOs aren’t just in the foods you eat
