Milestones of GMO's

 In an article titled "These 8 GMO's A Tell a Brief History of Genetic Modification", it talks about eight different genetically modified organisms, how they are used, and the dramatic impact they have had on our lives. 

The first GMO the article mentions is Escherichia coli. Scientists engineered E. Coil to make human insulin for treating diabetes. The next organism that scientist genetically modified are mice. Mice are commonly used to research and study human disease in a controlled way in the lab. Scientist injected DNA from simian virus into mouse embryos, so that the mice that were later born with viral DNA in their genomes. The next one is genetically engineered tobacco. The reason for this is so they produce Bt toxins so they are resistant to insects. The fourth one is the Flavr Savr tomato. It was genetically modified to block the production of an enzyme responsible for fruit softening, in term keeping the fruit firm longer. The next organism is biofortified rice. This is genetically modified with daffodil and a soil bacterium because it is able to produce more vitamin A. The next one is AquAdvantage salmon. The purpose for the modification is for faster growing. However there are many concerns that if these escape, the wild salmon would be in danger. The next one is the American chestnut. This genetically modified tree is more resistant to fungal diseases. The final organism is mosquitos. The purpose of genetically modifying the mosquito is to reduce the infection and spread of many viruses such as Zika and dengue viruses. 

I think our ability to genetically modify organisms to our advantage can be a great thing if carefully used. It's amazing to me that scientists can inject and modify a mosquito, and it can decrease the amount of viruses and diseases that are being spread from mosquitos. 

Sources:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/8-gmo-history-genetic-modification

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/aquadvantage-salmon/aquadvantage-salmon-fact-sheet