Mid Brain reports…
Scientists have recently developed a way to genetically modify certain flowers to produce higher levels of fragrant compounds. This research may even lead to the development of flower-odor producing yeast lines which would eliminate the need for flower harvesting. Depending on your feelings about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) this could be good or bad news.
What are GMOs?
GMOs are plants (or animals) that have been genetically manipulated to express some useful trait. In this research, scientists took petunia plants and inserted a gene from another flowering plant to get the petunias to produce more fragrant compounds. It worked. These new plants make 10 times the odor molecules as natural petunias.
GMO controversy
While the benefits of genetically modifying plants and animals seem great to some people, others are appalled by this manipulation of nature. They worry scientists don’t know what will happen by tinkering with biology that has evolved over centuries. Maybe a killer plant or animal that wipes out our natural ecosystems might inadvertently be created. To supportive scientists this seems like a extremely low possibility.
GMO Cosmetics good and bad
To people with no problems with GMOs, this new research demonstrates a number of benefits.
- Reduce the amount of synthetic chemicals in your cosmetic.
- Reduce the amount of land required for plants to produce cosmetics
- Reduce the cost of natural compounds
On the other hand, these GMOs do run the risk of infecting the natural ecosystem and changing things in unforeseen ways. Is it worth the risk to the environment for more natural, less expensive cosmetics? That’s not a question that this Beauty Brain can answer.
How do you feel about GMOs in your cosmetics? Leave a comment and let the rest of the community know.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m very much in favour of GMOs. In fact, i’m very much in favour of anything that is going to allow us to progress, including stem cells and nanotech – and not just in the beauty industry, obviously!
I honestly do not understand why people are against it. Is it just fear of change and the unknown? Because if so, these naysayers need to grow up! The benefits far outweigh the risks!
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Isn’t planting fields upon fields of a crop also changing the ecosystem? More natural resources are needed to maintain the those field thus altering the state of the environment. I am not opposed to GMO. Farmers have been using things like cross pollination for years to produce better fruits and vegetables and heartier grains, so really, what is the difference?
Leah – it’s because people believe the GMO plants can infect non-GMO plants. I remember a fellow whom told me about how the seed companies were selling farmers GMO corn that produced sterile seeds so the farmers couldn’t save extra corn for seed and had to spend more money. He went on to claim that the sterile corn infected local wildflowers and made them sterile too.
No Way.
Just looking at that flower makes me feel sick.
I think it’s ridiculous and egotistical to think that we can improve upon nature.
I support scientific progress. What bother me with GMOs is we don’t know how it affects nature and other crops. There’s no report no studies no following while it’s been probably ten years GMOs are harvested.
Wide use, besides cosmetics plus, can help feed population in need for example.
I would support wide use only after reports that it is safe for using. It’s mandatory for drugs. It should be mandatory for this kind of scientific progress also because at the beginning it’s not natural. If the breeding of species by farmers is against nature, it won’t work. Nature regulates itself against damages. It’s not the case for GMOs. The process is forced whatever nature can bear or not. It’s why I think studies like the ones for drugs are necessary to check out the safety of such process.
Gaelle
beinglovingdoing.wordpress.com
Well, Sarah, don’t worry, it’s just a photoshop job, not a real flower.
Gaelle,
We’ve been going against nature for millenia. The domestic chicken is not natural–it will not survive in the wild. Cattle are not natural–they have no equivalents in the wild. Corn itself was never natural–it was bred almost 10k years ago by humans. GMO is exactly like what we’ve been doing since humans moved from hunting-gathering to agriculture, except faster, cheaper and less resource consuming.
Angel – not true that the domestic chicken can’t survive in the wild. Like many domestic animals such as cats it’s entirely possible for a chicken to go feral and survive in the wild or in a semi-wild state. Such as the chickens that live near the LA Freeway.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/gnus/chicken.asp
I think it’s ludicrous and arrogant for us to think we can manipulate the natural world on a genetic level. It’s all part of the way humans tend to want to control their environment. Sure, I see the benefits of GMO, but must cost always be the issue? Surely there are more important considerations than just having to spend less on some designer perfume.
With all of the short-term-thinking disasters playing out all over the world these days, what thoughtful person really believes GMO is a good idea? I have no doubt that the people running the world these days would handily lie about GMOs just to make a quick buck. No thanks!
There are no non-GMO plants used in Agriculture. Corn, wheat, tomatoes…all have been genetically modified from their natural plants. So too have Cows, pigs, sheep, etc. Everything has already been genetically modified.
I am completely against GMO products and it scares me to read that this trend may extend to beauty products! Leave nature alone! Who knows what GMO products can do to us.
Oh get over it. EVERYTHING has ALREADY been GMOed.
“I think it’s ridiculous and egotistical to think that we can improve upon nature.” – Alysa
Yes we can. That’s how the average life expectancy for humans in developed countries increased from about 40 to 80 years… In fact all out crops and cattle are improvement upon nature: wheat, corn, rice, cows, horses, chicken, sheep etc. So we can, we have, and we will.
“Chris Says:
I think it’s ludicrous and arrogant for us to think we can manipulate the natural world on a genetic level.”
Again, we have manipulated nature on the genetic level through artificial selection for millenia, and we will continue to do so. In fact I just made glowing E.coli in my lab class last year! Guess where insulin for all the millions of diabetics comes, those genetically engineered E.coli. Are you just telling all those diabetics to die because you want everything “natural”?