Genetically Modified Animals: A Comparative Essay

Traditionally, plants and animals have been selectively bred or cross breed, in order to create specific strains or lineages to express ideal traits or attributes. Farmers or biologists would typically gather pollen by hand using a cone shaped piece of sand paper, transferring them to female flower parts. It would have take tens of years to achieve desired results over many generations. Animals are bred similarly by artificial insemination or matching male and female candidates; in contrast, Genetically Modified organisms (GMOs) are created within a laboratory with the use of specialized methods. Plants are modified by finding an ideal gene that can exist from a completely different organism. After isolating the gene, it can be inserted in two ways into a developing seedling. The seedling can be modified with a gene gun, which is used to shoot particles of metal coated with the isolated gene or infecting it with a modified bacterium. An example of a bacterium used by the Monsanto Company is Agrobacterium …show more content…
Although, what are most prevalent and widely used traits is to increase resilience to pesticide use and increase yield. Genetically modified (GM) plants in general, are widely accepted as sources of food; in contrast, when it comes to genetically modified animals their benefits are different. Currently GM animals are not used as a source of food; they are intended for producing usable products. First, they offer improving the hardiness of animals, increasing tolerance to stress and resistance to disease. Second, create anti-bodies for medical use. Third, eventually allow cross species organ and tissue transplants. Forth, reduce environmental impact by having animals grow faster and need less