Did you ever think there might be something fishy about the tomatoes you are eating? Could there be a little bit of eel lurking in your ice cream cone? The very idea may make you think “yuck!” but be warned! The food you are eating may not be what you think it is. Welcome to the world of genetically modified organisms (GMO). These days, plants, animals, and even the food you eat are often being genetically modified. What does this mean? Scientists have learned how to take the genetic material from one organism, material in each cell that causes an organism to inherit certain traits or qualities, and inject it into another. As a result, the traits passed on by the gene will appear in the new organism. Ever wondered what a pig that glows in the dark would look like? Scientists have injected a glow-in-the-dark pigment gene from jellyfish into pigs, making certain parts of the pigs glow green!

This may all sound like a mad science lab to you, but there is actually a purpose to creating GMOs. By transferring traits from one organism to another, specific traits can be chosen, traits that could make food grow larger, resist pests, and last longer in storage. A lot of people think this is a good thing. Other people say that GMOs are a big problem. Why? No one knows how the human body will react to genetically modified foods. Know one knows if playing around with genes is safe. This is because one gene often codes for lots of different traits. For example, if a gene from a poisonous plant is placed into a food crop, it may result in traits we want. But it could also produce traits we don’t want, such as the production of poisons. GMO crops may also be harmful to other organisms. Genetically modified corn has been shown to the harmful to butterflies and rodents. Still, companies that produce GMOs say that the technology will help overcome global food shortages.

What do think? Do you have an opinion on GMOs? To learn more, search “GMO” on the World Wide Web and see what comes up. Add the terms “kids” or “youth” to your search if you want to come up with some kid friendly sites!