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Biology - AQA GCSE

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Question:

Give 5 benifits and risks of genetic engineering.

Author: Miqdaam Hamed Hassan



Answer:

Benefits: 1)Genetic modification is a faster and more efficient way of getting the same results as selective breeding. 2)Improve crop yields or crop quality 3)Introduce herbicide resistance, results in less herbicides being used, as weeds are quickly and selectively killed. 4)Insect and pest resistance can be developed and inserted into the plants. The plant produces toxins, which would discourage insects from eating the crop. 5)Sterile insects could be created such as a mosquito. They would breed, which would lead to infertile offspring. This may help with spread of diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever and the Zika virus. Risks: 1)Transfer of the selected gene into other species. What benefits one plant may harm another. 2)Some people believe it is not ethical to interfere with nature in this way. 3)GM crop seeds are often more expensive and so people in developing countries cannot afford them. 4)GM crops could be harmful toxins from the crops have been detected in some people’s blood. 5)GM crops could cause allergic reactions in people. Pollen produced by the plants could be toxic and harm insects that transfer it between plants.


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