Related Current Events:

• Debate: Are Genetically Modified Animals Safe to Eat?

  

  A team of scientists has genetically engineered pigs to be resistant to a widespread disease. Science can engineer an animal’s DNA to introduce desirable traits and get rid of negative traits or sickness. These pigs are not being raised on farms yet, but the plan is to have food from these animals available in stores in the next five years.This technology is still new, and the Food and Drug Administration has strict guidelines that have to be met before these animals will be available to the public. Listen to hear more about genetically engineered animals and then debate with your class whether you think genetically engineered animals will be safe to eat.

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• Debate: Should Humans Be Genetically Modified?

  

  A Chinese scientist claims to have created genetically edited human babies, igniting a major ethical controversy. The scientist says he used a new genetic engineering technique to modify genes in human embryos to resist HIV infection and then created twin girls from those embryos. His claim has yet to be verified. The scientific community has responded with strong ethical concerns about the risks of this type of human experimentation. Listen to this story to learn more and then debate: Should humans be genetically modified?

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• Hacking Photosynthesis

  

  Photosynthesis is the process that is foundationational for all life, in which plants use sunlight to change water and carbon dioxide into food and oxygen. Scientists have now genetically modified plants to perform that process more efficiently, thereby increasing agricultural productivity. Listen to this story to learn how researchers “hacked photosynthesis” and why it matters.

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• Modifying Plant DNA With a Nano-Needle

  

  Would you like to eat apples that never turn brown? Scientists hoping to genetically modify plants for crop development think they may have found a solution to a major problem they have been facing. The cell walls of plants make it difficult to insert genetic material into plant cells to change how those plant cells work. The solution–carbon nanotubes–was discovered by accident. Listen to learn about the discovery and implementation of this nanotechnology solution and how it could change the way scientists breed new crop varieties.

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