Zhong, Raymond, and Clare Toeniskoetter. “Scientists Boost Crop Performance by Engineering a Better Leaf.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Aug. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/climate/gmo-food-soybean-photosynthesis.html.

The article discusses a new massive leap in genetic engineering technology, which will allow us to make more efficient soybean plants. Soybean plants are mostly used as feed for animals, but the increased efficiency of that would not only make the meat market more efficient, but would also create more space for the corn market to become more human food based and less animal-food based. Research at the University of Illinois has created something called non-Photochemical quenching, which basically allows plants to be more resistant to heat, and perform transpiration less. Also, excess energy is able to be shed harmlessly as heat with this new development. Often a plant receives too much light energy, which can reduce the efficiency of photosynthesis, and so this way to shed energy will make a more efficient plant.

While it’s still in the testing phase, I think this is another major development in our scientific food world. The fact that this is the third article I’ve seen that has a focus on modifying crops to combat climate change effects, really shows how major of an effect climate change has on our world. This isn’t something that’s just affecting the weather – this is something that is affecting our very way of life. Our food, our land, all of our resources are impacted by climate change, and I think that while it’s amazing that we are coming up with new technology to combat this, at the same time we should be focusing on prevention more than response. Our technology will always improve, but it is more sustainable for us to focus on reducing our usage of certain things in an effort to reduce climate change, then it is to expect scientists to constantly come up with technological solutions to our problems. These problems are caused by us as humans. Science has shown that our carbon emissions have increased the amount of CO2 in the air, as well as our meat industry contributing to the amount of methane in our atmosphere. This has resulted in the greenhouse effect, which is very relevant to what we’re learning right now in class.

‘Solar Powered’ Cells: Light-Activated Proton Pumps Generate Cellular Energy, Extend Life, 30 December 2022, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221230142237.htm.

In this article, we learn about how scientists have found a way to engineer synthetic chloroplasts, which allows for what is essentially solar powered cells. Scientists have been working on this project for a while, and finding a way to extend cell life naturally has been huge. The synthetic mitochondria will be able to turn light energy into chemical energy, in the form of ATP, which the cell continues to perform its functions. The new discovery also has revealed more about aging, and the way that cells perform it. With this information, we could possibly find ways to create other synthetic organelles, which could create more efficient human cells. 

Again, this could pose a large moral issue, in terms of how the new change and development and technology is implemented, but as long as we stick to good intense with science, this is a great step in genetic modification sciences. I think that this is one of the biggest steps we’ve made in genetic modification, because it’s not just changing a strand of DNA to act differently, which requires precision, but isn’t new science necessarily. This development shows us that we can actually create organelles in a lab, meaning that the repair for cells is possible. This could also lead to new improvements in cell regeneration in humans, specifically in severe medical conditions where new cells are needed, but hard to find.

Exotic Wheat DNA Helps Breed ‘Climate-Proof’ Crops — ScienceDaily, 10th, January 2023 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230110151038.htm.

The article explains another crop that underwent genetic modification that allows us to make wheat climate-proof. Similar to the last article, because of climate change and record high temperatures, a lot of crops, specifically wheat ones, I’ve seen a large decrease in yield. The hot sun evaporates water more quickly, causing less actual absorption by the plant. This leads to less efficient photosynthesis and respiration, causing less growth, and therefore less yield. Researchers have discovered a type of weed that has genetic modifications from a long time ago, which makes the week more resistant to heat changes like this. It’s resulting in 50% higher yields than those without the modification, making the modified seeds a hot commodity.

I think that while this is a really amazing development that will allow us to feed our population more easily, there is definitely a high risk that comes with having a certain type of a crop that is better than the others. I think there’s a decent chance a company will put a patent of some sort on that type of seed, or have a monopoly on seeds with that genetic modification. This could lead to an imbalance in the market, and result in local farmers having to struggle the same way we saw local farmers struggling in some of the short films we watched. 

“Genetically Modified Rice Could Be Key to Tackling Food Shortages Caused by Climate Change.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 16 Jan. 2023, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230116112626.htm.

The article explains how new developments are being made in England that can help decrease the amount of water needed to grow rice, helping to increase crop yield for our planet as a result. Essentially, scientists in Sheffield have discovered a way to decrease the number of stomata in a race crop. The stomata are like little mouths on the leaves of crops, which allow transpiration to happen through them. They are the gateway of water to the inside of the plant. reducing the number of stomata makes the crops more resistant to salt water, which has become a much more prevalent issue, due to the sea levels rising. With above average sea levels, crops that normally are not introduced to salt water, are being exposed to it, meaning that Rice is growing at a less than ideal rate. Rice with this reduced stomata level uses almost 60% less water than non-modified plants. This would not only reduce the amount of freshwater needed to grow rice, but would also help protect them against saltwater. 30% of earth’s freshwater is used to grow rice, since almost 3.5 million people rely on it for food daily, and so the efficiency level of growing it is really important to our entire population.

The article is related to APES because it shows one way that we are having to develop new technology to combat climate change. The reason we need these modifications to rice crops is because the sea levels are rising, meaning that more crops are exposed to seawater. It’s a way we are adapting to our environment, and away. We are also using science to help sustain our population. I think it’s really interesting to look at the mass reliance our world has on one crop, especially since that one crop is pretty and efficient when it comes to fresh water usage. But, the fact that we are able to develop this genetic modification to help increase the efficiency of rice growing, really shows how far we’ve come scientifically.

Olsson, O. P., Jeong, Y. W., Jeong, Y., Kang, M., Park, G. B., Choi, E., Kim, S., Hossein, M. S., Son, Y. B., & Whang, W. S. (2022, July 1). Insights from one thousand cloned dogs. Nature. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15097-7?error=cookies_not_supported&code=007db29c-1ac6-4993-a385-d17183379cc1

The practice of animal cloning has been completed for over 20 years, dogs historically being the most cloned species, mostly in attempts to create new breeds and mixes. The relationship between dogs and owners is traditionally different than that of humans and other animals, since domestication has been a common practice for many centuries. These observations change between donors and their clones, indicating a non-genetic effect of the connection they hold. The discrepancies cannot be completely explained by current understandings, but highlight “cellular reprogramming effects of somatic cell nuclear transfer.” Importantly, some phenotypic variations have shown to be reversed with continued cloning. 

The article highlights studies done that attempt to explain the relationship between dog and human, related to the genetic makeup and changes in breeds over the centuries. The authors highlight the lack of complete answer, and explain how science will have to grow in the future in order for us to fully understand the relationship. 

Choi, J., Chen, W., & Minkina, A. (2022, July 6). A time-resolved, multi-symbol molecular recorder via sequential genome editing. Nature.Com. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04922-8

DNA one its own is easy to be used as a digital medium for “in vivo” molecular recording, meaning a recording that is in the living organism. Scientists are attempting to use recently-discovered memory capabilities of the DNA, in order to better track the history of a cell and DNA, called a DNA typewriter. The scientists are using this copying technique to copy and clone sections of DNA they want, and are able to go back 20 generations of DNA to get the desired DNA. 

The article uncovered and explains the new technologies being developed that allow us to track the changes made in DNA going generations back, which can aid in our ability to not only see how things change specifically in a strand, but allow scientists to isolate the generation version they want, and copy the DNA from the desired era. Using previously discussed CRISPR methods, they can splice the section of DNA needed and add or remove it as they see necessary.

Henderson, E. B. (2022, June 23). Non-traditional pet owners at increased risk of zoonotic diseases. News-Medical.Net. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220623/Non-traditional-pet-owners-at-increased-risk-of-zoonotic-diseases.aspx

Non-traditional pets, when in contact with humans, increase the exposure risk of zoonotic pathogens, which is more basically known as an infectious disease that is transmitted between species from animals to humans. The article will explore the threat to pet owners by these unconventional creatures, and explain some of the things we can do to help prevent the disease(s) from spreading. Genetic modification is a key aspect of this, changing the DNA of the animals so that disease would not spread. 

The article explores the transfer of diseases from non-traditional pets to humans, explaining how the transfer takes place, what sort of diseases can spread, and how we can work to prevent the diseases. The idea of genetic modification is displayed as a positive way to inhibit the contagious disease spread, but the article does not discuss the moral aspects of the usage. 

Pietropaolo, S. (11, February 2022). Biotechnologies and Animals: The Impact of Genetic Engineering on Human-Animal Relationships. The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series, 241–271. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85277-1_12

Since the idea of using biotechnologies has hugely increased recently, radically changing the relationship we hold between animals and their use in scientific fields, such as the food industry to scientific research. The article speaks about those technologies having relevant impact on our approach to animals, and a discussion of the bioethical aspects as well as their advantages compared to their limitations. This journal concentrates on biotechnologies in biomedical science, highlighting examples particularly focused on genetic modifications of laboratory animals.

The journal delves into the moral issues of genetic modification, specifically in relation to the use of animal testing. It showcases the darker sides of genetic modification and weighs the pros of it against the cons. The process of genetic engineering is easy to take advantage of if a scientist with looser morals uses the techniques, so it is important that we consider the lines that may need to be drawn in order to prevent unethical usage of a revolutionary tool. 

Rahman, S. U., McCoy, E., Raza, G., Ali, Z., Mansoor, S., & Amin, I. (2022). Improvement of Soybean; A Way Forward Transition from Genetic Engineering to New Plant Breeding Technologies. Molecular Biotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-022-00456-6

The article, part of a journal written by Saleem Rahman, Evan McCoy, Ghulam Raza, Shahis Mansoor, and Imran Amin, in February 2022, speaks on the new technologies that have been developed in relation to soybean modification on a genetic level. New plant breeding technologies such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, with improvements, have developed, which allow for enhanced genetic modification of the soybean. They can improve soybean via precision genome engineering to enhance certain chosen traits. They also address ethical and public acceptance issues  that come with any type of genetic modification in food. Soybeans are vital to our environment and food systems because of their high nutrients and ability to fuel a vast variety of animals.

The article works to explain some of the positives of genetic engineering and how it can help us create more sustainable, safer, and accessible foods. Often with genetic engineering, the first thing people think of when they hear the term is associated with negative attributes, such as fakeness, chemicals, and questionable ethics. The soybean development is an example of an impressive positive example of genetic modification, which works to aid people worldwide in enhancement of nutrition in both humans and animals.