Benefits and risks of genetic engineering

• Genetic engineering is the process of artificially transferring genetic information from one donor cell or organism to another
• Genetic engineering is used in agriculture to:

  • Improve the yields of important economic crops
  • Provide insect or pest resistance
• Genetic engineering is used in the medical field to create insulin for treating diabetes
• Benefits of genetic engineering include:

  • Faster and more efficient results compared to selective breeding
  • Improved crop yields or quality, which can help reduce hunger globally
  • Introducing herbicide resistance to reduce herbicide use
  • Developing insect and pest resistance in plants
  • Creating sterile insects to control disease spread like malaria and dengue fever
• Risks of genetic engineering include:

  • Transfer of selected genes into other species, potentially causing harm
  • Ethical concerns about interfering with nature
  • Higher cost of genetically modified crop seeds, making them unaffordable in developing countries
  • Detection of toxins from GM crops in people's blood
  • Potential allergic reactions in people
  • Toxic pollen harming insects that transfer it between plants