What Is a Genetically Modified Food? - Instant Egghead #45

Genetically modified foods have been demonized in recent years by health advocates and environmentalists alike. If we look at the history of food cultivation, however, it is apparent we've been eating them all along. Scientific American editor Eric R. Olson explains.

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[RainAngel]

It's hilarious to see people claiming that this guy is a puppet, or spewing propaganda. All he is doing is explaining what GMO's are. That's just the facts.

[jake]

Anyone else watch this in science class?

[greynocturnal]

This was really useful for my science project! Thanks.

[uhohhotdog]

Theres a big difference between making corn that's sweeter and corn that produces it's own pesticide.

[gurusubhani]

One of the finest briefing I have seen so far .
Best wishes for your channel .

[slaterbarry]

First video on YouTube that actually supports GM! Thank you so much:)

[LipsOfCandy]

Selective breeding and GMO's are different things. While there is an unanswerable debate around GMO'S I think the main issue with this video is that it makes GMO's seem natural by comparing it to a system, selective breeding, that in reality in incredibly different and should not be correlated with.

[janetgrogan]

The video said that GM is the same as natural crossing but speeded up, but we know this is far from the truth. As for testing we have food regulatory bodies that rely on data provided by the very companies that will benefit from their approvals. The majority of the studies are neither peer-reviewed nor published, and it is extremely difficult to get access to the data as the German and French Governments have found along with many independent scientists. Assumptions of safety is not enough.

[ChristopherMei]

I know, but most people think of nature as something almost "magical" not involving chemicals, atoms and molecules, those words just scare them. That's basically the key to this whole thing, sadly even in the western world we haven't figured out how to teach basic level science in high school. I'm from Italy, here high school is divided in different addresses (classical, linguistic, scientific, technical schools, etc), and unless you choose a scientific one, science is basically non-existant.

[RichardGMoss]

the same people who have been ordering a double bacon cheese burger, fries and a Coke are shocked when they are told that the wheat is GM. Come on, get real people.

[David-vocz]

I’m not crazy about the idea of GMO foods. Interesting about the corn, but it was done through a natural process. They weren’t mixing it up with something totally different. Tomatoes have been ruined because they tampered with them in order to have them uniform in shape and have them ripen at the same time. Turns out the gene that controls shape also controls taste. Tomatoes in my youth tasted great. Now they are like cardboard. I read that in the newspaper a few years back. I am not a scientist.
Who knows what the ultimate effect will be when you’re screwing around at a cellular level with what I consider limited knowledge of the ultimate outcome.

[xdpenguin]

when the teacher decides to show this vid instead of teaching themselves

[freequaintseas]

Idk man why does the FDA approve both food and drugs? More than half the things on store shelves are NOT approved by the FDA. If you read the labels they put on there for you.

[TheDanielCobra]

Every bit of food getting down to our bowels is quickly attacked by a multitude of enzymes. As we chew, amylases start breaking down starch into dextrin. When the food mass gets to the stomach, it is doused with very potent hydrochloric acid, the proteins curdle and denaturate, before being clipped into small bits by a protease called pepsin. In the duodenum, the resulting half-digested mass mixes with bile from the gallbladder and enzymes from the pancreas. The bile emulgates fats, turning them into tiny droplets, after which pancreatic lipase breaks them into glycerine and fatty acids, which are absorbed into the lymph by the intestine; the pancreatic peptidase called tripsin finishes destroying the proteins down to amino acids, which are further absorbed into the bloodstream; pancreatic amylase completely destroys dextrins to glucose, which is also absorbed; and finally, nucleases cut any genetic material (DNA or RNA) entering the duodenum into single nucleotides, which are the same for all species of animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. The nucleotides are absorbed and utilized. That is why GM food is perfectly safe - no harm can be done to our organism by some extra genetic material. It will get cut and processed, like any other DNA coming into our GI tract. Relax.

[deeboystatus]

We can debate this issue of the negative effects of GM foods on humans forever. However, we need to keep in mind that earth's population is growing and so is the demand for food.

[rebeccairwin]

Not all of them are modified using natural means. There is some foods with pesticides inside of them. Which, if i remember correctly, says DO NOT EAT in bold

[greglast]

I'd like to see these supposed studies to show GMOs are safe. Never ever seen one. None have ever been presented to the FDA, but that's okay, former Monsanto employees run that dept.

[speng]

Thank you fro setting things straight, good work!

[Seag-Gaming]

guess what haters, we humans are also GMO's.*koff* lactose *koff*

[sxyngel]

DO NOT MESS wITH MOTHER NATURE, NEVER ENDS wELL. only she knows things that will enable survival.