Source 5: Freeling, Nicole. (2019, May 14) Students wow with science and solutions at 5th annual Grad Slam. Retrieved from https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/students-wow-science-and-solutions-5th-annual-grad-slam
Summary: UC Davis student Katie Murphy described research that uses genetics and breeding solutions to make corn less vulnerable to disease. Murphy claims that so much corn is lost to fungus each year that it could fill a cornfield the size of Florida. Her research has uncovered the fact that some corn varieties produce their own compounds to fight off fungal disease. Scientists like Murphy are working to harness those chemicals for use with different varieties of corn, as well as other crops. This is expected to reduce pesticide use, produce more food, and create genetically stronger plants to ensure food for the future.
Response: Although more food definitely sounds like a good thing, a reoccuring theme in many of the other articles I’ve read has been how surpluses of corn are driving prices down, leaving corn farmers in a tight spot. Nonetheless, this research is pretty cool. Perhaps a possibility to look into for the future could be figuring out how we might be able to manipulate corn’s genes to make it more nutrient efficient, allowing us to grow the same amount or even more in the same space.
I agree with you that this technology is a very good thing I believe that we have already devoted so much to corn these past several decades. Our production rate and yield of industrial corn is already extremely high with utilization of GMO’s and fertilizers used to boost their growth. I think we should invest more research on other important crops and dial back the obsession that this country already has with corn.
I think that you bring up a good point about the farmers being hurt by the very low corn prices. I think that modifying plants and increasing farming efficiency can one many levels help farmers, but it can also hurt farmers and consumers are the ones who see the benefits.
This article was very interesting as it brings up a solution to a big environmental problem that most of us didn’t ever think about. I think corn is an example of how GMO’s can improve our world by providing more food and safer food. It also illustrates why we should invest more in research regarding GMOs.
I really like how you recognized that despite the fact that these technological advances are really beneficial, there can also be other factors or even downsides, like you mentioned with the surpluses of corn threatening farmers’ incomes. In this same vein, while I really like what I’m hearing about these revolutionary types of genetic engineering helping increase efficiency of food production, I worry that this could possibly compromise the health of the food itself. There has ben a lot of talk about the dangers of genetically modifying and engineering food, so I think the most important thing is balancing the new, exciting opportunities technological advances bring with the responsibility farmers and food manufacturers have to produce food that is fresh, natural, and not harmful to the health of consumers.