B14.7 Ethics of genetic technologies - Advantages and disadvantages table in GCSE Biology

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Created by: hannalouise976
Created on: 01-06-18 13:37

B14.7 Ethics of genetic technologies

Advantages

Improved growth rates of plants and animals
Increased food value of crops, as genetically modified (GM) crops usually have much bigger yields than ordinary crops
Crops can be designed to grow well in dry, hot, or cold parts of the world
Crops can be engineered to produce plants that make their own pesticides or are resistant to the herbicides used to control weeds

Disadvantages

Genetic engineering is still a fairly new science and no one can be sure what the long term effects will be
Some people are concerned about the effect of eating GM food on human health
Genes from GM plants and animals might spread onto the wildlife in the countryside
Fears about human engineering

Evaluation

The majority of plant scientists believe that GM crops are the way forward and probably the only way to solve the problem of feeding the world's expanding population and to cope with global warming.

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