Genetic engineering

1. In the fourth part of his book, Michael Pollan discusses fermentation. The first chapter is about the fermentation of vegetables. Fermentation is basically decay or rot. This used to be how people preserved food before cooling appliances and sealed cans were invented/available. About 33% of food is still produced by fermentation. Every culture ferments food one way or another. One example of culture specific fermentation that is still quite common is the pit fermentation of cabbage in China…

Invasive Species: Garlic Mustard An invasive species can be defined as any organism (including the organism’s seeds or eggs) that is not native to an area, but if introduced, can cause harm to the environment, economy, or to humans. These invasive species are usually introduced by humans either intentionally or accidentally and can very quickly and aggressively reproduce and take over an area. Plants that are considered to be invasive have certain characteristics in common that makes them…

What should be done to promote food safety in the U.S? I say that everyone in the world should see what happens when the food is not inspected properly. If people see what’s going on, it will open their eyes and make them crack down. They will make sure their food has been inspected and that can lower the rate of people dying from contaminated food. What I mean by let them see what happens if the food is not inspected is let them see the people that had been affected by it. We can let them…

Beetles, a group of insects are part of Coleopteran Order, they can be easily identified because of their dark colored body. Beetles mostly live in hot, cold, dry, or moist condition and because the Great Basin is the home of arid climate beetles can be easily found. Many of their food sources come from leaves, seeds, fruits, or dead wood. However, if beetles have good diets and potentially find other food sources they could benefit their population growth (Arbogast, et al. 2010). Beetles can…

Seed Seed was very interesting and caused me to really think about the future of the way we farm and what we are willing to consume. I never knew how much control Monsanto had when it comes to what we eat and the health aspect of it. It should worry us to think about the potential outcomes of food if we allow Monsanto to continue their practice. Since Monsanto controls such an important role in the lives of human I think a wrong move could affect millions of people across the world. It is…

Moss is a type of weed that can disrupt lawn and garden growth, but it's possible to eliminate and contain with the right products. There are two ways to control moss growth. You can fix the conditions that are causing it to grow or purchase moss control products to contain it. Where Does Moss Grow? With thousands of moss species, moss can grow anywhere except in salt water. It flourishes in cool, shady and damp areas. Nonetheless, it can still survive in limited, drought-like conditions. Moss…

Introduction Invasive or non-native plants pose a threat to ecosystems throughout the United States. In California alone, approximately 3,000 invasive plant species have been introduced (17, Dowell and Krass). These plants cause damages to native vegetation and often out compete their native counterparts (17). One species of slender oat, Avena barbata, is threatening native plants in California (Cal- IPC). This paper will focus on current research on the effects of invasive plants including A…

The Monsanto organization is constantly trying to change animals and plants to make them grow faster, produce more, and taste better, but at what cost? Monsanto is a company that is in great support and Prime contributor to the use and action of Genetically modifying organisms otherwise known as GMOs. The problem with GMO is that some companies only look towards profits and greed in a sacrifice of the public safety or health concerns. GMOs can be the cause of a rising Health related problems…

According to the book, there are still food foragers that oppose the transition of food production. One of the reasons why food foragers choose to oppose food production is that food foragers prefer to naturally manage the resources on which they depend on (pg.107). Evidently, there are good consequences and bad consequences that resulted from society's transition to food production. According to Jared Diamond's article, one negative consequence that resulted from this transition…

The question of “designer babies” is one that is fairly recent and controversy of the topic starts from the very definition of the term. When one is presented with the term “designer babies”, Most people imagine a genetically engineered being who is less human and more technology. This false stigma mainly comes from the negative reputation of Genetically modified species such as food or animals. However, the reality is quite different, it can be argued that even choosing a fertilised cell as an…