Genetically modified soy has become increasingly popular among food distributors all over the world. In fact, soy is the most genetically modified product on the planet, causing most soybeans we purchase and consume to be genetically modified organisms. These legumes are mainly cultivated as they are high in protein and oils. Since soy is a popular food item, they have been genetically modified to withstand herbicides, allowing farmers to obtain more crops, sometimes two per year which will, in turn, increase their profit. This also saves the time of the farmers as they do not need to prep their ground before planting, without the crops being affected. All these factors allow the public to believe that the genetic modification of soy will prove to be advantageous, however, it can be very harmful to one’s health.
To genetically modify soy for herbicide resistance, we use a complex process using an Agrobacterium that is inserted into the germinating seeds. An Agrobacterium is a gram-negative bacterium that transfers its DNA to a plant through a wound. The process begins by placing sterile seeds on a plate with all of the elements necessary for the plant’s growth (for example, oxygen, nitrogen and zinc). The seeds are then left to germinate for five days. After that time, we cut 7-12 horizontal lines in the cotyledons, creating a wound which allows the Agrobacterium to transfer its DNA to the plant. They are then put back onto the plate and the Agrobacterium is poured over them and will attach to the wounds. We then put the wounded side of the cotyledon down on a piece of filter paper with co-culture media, a cell culture with many types of cells. The insertion of the DNA of the Agrobacterium into the plant cell takes three days. The cotyledons are then put onto a plate with herbicides, that would normally kill them, therefore inserting a new gene allowing them to grow with herbicide resistance. This allows one cell to make genetically modified plants and after two weeks of growth, there will be a cluster of buds. Since this gene is not controlled, it creates several buds, so we apply herbicides to one leaf of each plant and check for damage after five to seven days. The soy plant with no damage is proven to be herbicide resistant and is, therefore, a genetically modified organism. In sum, the genetic modification process of soy occurs due to an Agrobacterium inserted into wounded soybeans that are then put onto a plate with herbicides, allowing one to acquire herbicide resistance.
The genetic modification of soy causes many social factors that have been proven to be a disadvantage for society. Firstly, according to Jennifer Byrne of Livestrong, the tests of consumption of genetically modified soy on animals such as rabbits and mice have proven that has many long-lasting effects on the liver, like liver damage and toxemia during pregnancy. Secondly, it has been discovered through studies conducted on hamsters that consuming genetically modified soy increases the rate of infant mortality, as well as the inability to conceive. Three generations of hamsters were fed with products containing genetically modified soy, there were also three generations of hamsters fed on non-genetically modified soy. The final generation lost all ability to conceive and there was increased infant mortality in each generation compared to the non-genetically modified fed hamsters. Thirdly, another social factor of genetically modified soy is due to their resistance to herbicides, as we choose to excessively treat them with these products. When we consume products made from genetically modified soy, we are in turn absorbing those herbicides which kill the cells of the placenta, umbilical cord and kidneys within 24 hours. All of these factors also occur on humans when they consume genetically modified soy, however, the tests are conducted on animals. To summarize, the consumption of genetically modified soy causes many social factors demonstrating that this type of soy is extremely harmful to the human body.
The consumption and creation of genetically modified soy also brings about a moral factor that is very controversial in today’s society. As mentioned above, according to Livestrong’s Jennifer Byrne, the tests conducted with genetically modified soy are performed on animals, such as rabbits, hamsters and mice. More than half of women and young adults believe that animal testing is not an adequate way of determining whether vaccines, drugs and in this case food, do what they are intended, says Brie Zeltner. They believe this for many reasons, mainly that animals are very different from humans, even chimpanzees, the closest animal to us. These animals have very different brain structure, allowing some results to be inaccurate. Therefore, according to Cruelty-Free International, testing on animals is often misleading, which could cause many human deaths. In summary, genetically modified soy brings out a moral factor for more than 50% of the population due to the animal testing involved.
The genetic modification of soy has proven to have many disadvantages, however, from an economic standpoint, it is an advantage. Firstly, according to Crystal Lombardo, this is due to the fact that we have created genetically modified soy to make it herbicide resistant, therefore it grows faster and in more abundance. This means we have more supply. Finally, due to this increase in supply, we are able to lower the prices of soy, making it advantageous for food producers and consumers. It costs less for farmers to grow genetically modified soy than it does for them to grow organic soy, which allows this price decrease. In sum, genetically modified soy is advantageous for the economy due to its quick and abundant growth.
In conclusion, humans have decided to genetically modify soy to make it more herbicide-resistant while using an Agrobacterium. This process is advantageous for farmers, but can also have many effects on human health. I believe that the science behind the genetic modification of soy for herbicide resistance has performed the way it was anticipated to because many farmers are capable of growing two crops in one year, due to not having to prep the ground to remove weeds. This allows us to have more soy. However, even though the genetic modification was successful, I believe it is incredibly dangerous for society due to the effects we saw on the animals. Also, we start to increase herbicide use on these plants, which is also detrimental to human health.