Banana with eyes, or more soy in your bean?

Let's stop for a second and back up a bit, and let's see what's a gene and where does it

fit?

All stuff is made up of small chemical atoms, stacked up together in grandiose

patterns.

But life is more complex and built to strict plans, from chemical recipes in

DNA strands.

Genes are sentences which describe functions and traits, like the shape, size

or stegosaurus plates.

Ten thousand years back at the very start of farming, humans picked the traits

that we found charming.

Selective breeding took these best variations, refining over and over

generations. Whatever the characteristic or colour, cause determined by genes in

one way or another.

Today we can use enzymes to snip DNA, so genes can be cut, pasted, moved any

which way.

Boost a gene, block a gene, bring a gene from elsewhere,

animal, bacteria, or plant you can share.

No, no, not quite like that. It requires more precision to make a genetically

modified organism.

Using a virus, gene gun or tiny needle, we change canola, or pig and

cure people.

Human insulin producing bacteria or clotting factors to treat hemophilia.

Transgenic plants can be made far more persistent, pest, weed killer and harsh

condition resistant.

Oil crops, corn and rice are being made more nutritious,

virus resistance squashes, no less auspicious.

In research, jellyfish genes act as markers in mammals, we tweak model

fruit flies like tiny control panels.

Ok, ok, dicing genes is undoubtedly clever, but has anyone asked about the why's or

the whether's?

The pros: advanced science and

improve all the crops. The cons: unforeseen issues and stumbling blocks.

So are we cautious or Luddites if we stand in the way,

perhaps missing advancements

that might save the day.