Golden Fleece

Nature has enslaved people since the beginning of time. As humans have developed they have overcome oceans, plagues, nomadism, and other organisms. Most recently scientists have created means to overcome the biological constraints of agriculture, and the plant that has contributed the most is corn. Pollan stated. “corn has done more than any other species to help the food industry realize the dream of freeing food from nature’s limitations.(91)” thesis Modern corn now is genetically changed to…

In her article “The Ethical Dilemma of Genetically Modified Food”, Valeria Jefferson presents the conflict society is currently facing in the matter of the inherent ethics of genetically modified food (GMF). She addresses points on both sides of the argument, giving the reader a broad overview of the facts. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are defined as plants and animals that have been altered at the genetic level for a specific purpose. That purpose could be to enhance resistance to…

Analyzing Osmosis in Gummy Bears Stephania Turyk and Anastasija Racic March 2016 Pre Lab Questions Why is it so important not to eat or drink anything in the lab? It is important not to eat or drink in the lab because the lab may be full of many contaminations that may enter your food or drink causing you to be very ill. Describe the direction of the flow of water when plant cells are placed in a hypertonic solution. When a plant cell is…

For as long as homo-sapiens have been on this earth finding sources of food had always been the number one priority. Humans, no matter the gender, spent most hours of each day hunting animals and foraging for edible plants and fruits. “That reliance on foraging characterized what historians and archaeologists call the Paleolithic era, or the “old stone age”.” (Jerry H. Bentley 7) During this time, and as the number of humans began to gather together forming a “community”, rules and regulations…

The biotechnology company Monsanto encapsulates all of the virtues and vices of the transnational corporation. Their connection to the cultivation and development of GMOs and pesticides has led to fervent criticism by many consumer advocates who question the biological effects that such chemicals have on the health of consumers. This criticism has led to many investigations on the inner workings and practices of Monsanto, and such investigations have brought to light corporate impropriety and…

Genetically modifying organisms sounds scary, especially when consumers find out it is in their food. For many, images of oversized chickens or unnaturally large tomatoes come to mind. This is because many do not know how a GMO is created or what is considered to be a GMO. Claims spew that what is inside genetically modified organisms are cancerous and unknown chemicals are injected into the organism. A common misconception is that any organism outside of society's idea of natural or organic is…

Though it may sound a mundane topic, bananas have had great historic importance throughout much of the world. Bananas have been a main source of food, spanning many years across many ancient kingdoms. The origins of the banana are rather quite hard to pin down. Though scientists believe them to have originated in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific around 8,000 to 5,000 BCE, they keep discovering older bananas. One could say that these new discoveries “drive them bananas.” The banana gets…

When does an object become a patent? In some cases when a possession is not in your hands anymore it no longer belongs to you. But in other cases it can still be your possession no matter where it is. There are very odd cases where problems like this arise. In the case Monsanto V. Bowman, the company, Monsanto is suing a man because he took advantage of Monsanto’s patent wrongfully. Monsanto is a Company that produces and sells herbicide and genetically modified organisms, (GMOs) which are…

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…

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…