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The protagonist of this two-day flipped case study, "Maria," has two problems. She doesn't like it when the apple slices in her lunch turn brown, and she needs to find a project for her biology class that includes molecular biology, preferably one that incorporates plants. Students are enlisted to help Maria understand Arctic Apples™, which don't turn brown because they have been genetically modified to suppress the expression of polyphenol oxidase via RNAi. The case also explores the health, environmental, and safety aspects of growing and eating plants that have been genetically modified to use RNAi. The case applies the central dogma of biology to the creation of genetically modified foods and RNAi and includes a discussion of whether genetically modified foods should be labeled. Several videos are included with the case, including one created by the author specifically for the case. The case is appropriate for use in an introductory level biology or survey level biochemistry course.

Genetically modified foods have been demonized in recent years by health advocates and environmentalists alike. If we look at the history of food cultivation, however, it is apparent we've been eating them all along. SA editor Eric R. Olson explains.

GMOs are organisms that have had their DNA modified through genetic engineering. This is often done by taking a gene from one organism and putting it into another one to alter it in a desirable way. For example, when genetic engineers want to create a corn crop that is resistant to pests, they seek out the trait in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) soil bacteria that naturally acts as a pesticide. From there, engineers isolate the gene responsible for that trait and directly insert it into the corn's DNA. This corn is then bred with other corn until it's ready to be produced for consumption.

"A lot of people are still suspicious of genetically engineered foods," Profita said. "But they're also concerned about the environmental impacts of making them. A lot of the time, genetically engineered plants are engineered so that you can put more chemicals on the plants. And a lot of people don't want to be engaged in eating those types of foods." Environmentalists have worried about putting genetically modified fish in facilities near rivers, fearing the fish could escape into the wild. The company takes pains to say that these salmon are meant to be raised in tanks on land - not in netted pens in open waters. Otherwise, the operations are similar, Profita said.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods have the potential to cause a variety of health problems.  For example, they may produce new allergens and toxins, and spread harmful traits to non-GMO crops. In addition, at least one major environmental impact of genetic engineering has already reached critical proportions: overuse of herbicide-tolerant GE crops has spurred an increase in herbicide use and an epidemic of herbicide-resistant "superweeds," which will lead to even more herbicide use. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment they cannot be recalled.  

A kind of salmon that's been genetically modified so that it grows faster may be on the way to a supermarket near you. The Food and Drug Administration approved the fish on Thursday - a decision that environmental and food-safety groups are vowing to fight. This new kind of fast-growing salmon was actually created 25 years ago by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies. A new gene was inserted into fertilized salmon eggs - it boosted production of a fish growth hormone. The result: a fish that grows twice as fast as its conventional, farm-raised counterpart.

Ever wonder how your food would be without any human intervention over the course of agriculture history? For thousands of years, farmers have manipulated their crops to get the best yields and have resulted in many of the produce you see today.

Although there have been more than two thousand studies documenting that GMOs do not pose an unusual threat to human health, questions about the safety of genetically modified foods remain in the minds of many consumers.

The Food and Drug Administration just approved the AquAdvantage Salmon, a fish genetically engineered to grow more quickly than its conventional counterparts. It's the first GMO animal for human consumption approved for sale in the United States.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has made a name for itself by tackling the food industry's big guns on everything from artery-furring entrees to misleading label claims. But where does it stand on genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? Elaine Watson quizzed Gregory Jaffe, CSPI director of biotechnology, on everything from GM labeling initiatives to super weeds…

In "Harvest of Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology.

As the prevalence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) continues to rise, there has been an increasing public interest for information concerning the safety of these products. Concerns generally focus on how the GMO may affect the environment or how it may affect the consumer. One specific concern is the possibility for GMOs to negatively affect human health. This could result from differences in nutritional content, allergic response, or undesired side effects such as toxicity, organ damage, or gene transfer.