Outreach in Biotechnology

the transfer of genes from one crop to another crop, or to wild plants, by seed or pollen. Gene flow from genetically engineered crops to organic crops can be of particular concern. See also coexistence.

a change in an organism's genes made using recombinant DNA technology. A genetically modified/engineered organism is called a GMO. (More often than not, GE crops are referred to as GM crops, but strictly speaking, all GE crops are GM, but not all GM crops are GE!) Genetic engineers transfer just a few genes at a time between organisms that are distantly related or not related at all, whereas plant breeders transfer tens of thousands of genes at a time between organisms that are closely related.  See also genetic modification.

a DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that is associated with a particular trait (genetically determined characteristic).

choosing organisms with desirable genetic characteristics for propagation.  In humans, genetic selection procedures allow couples that are at risk of passing on a genetic disease to have healthy children by implanting only selected embryos.

a plant or plant product grown and harvested extensively for subsistence or profit that contains traits encoded by one or a few newly expressed proteins. See also GMO

the study of genomes. There are two basic types of genomic approaches: physical genomics, which includes mapping, sequencing, studies of genome organization, and comparisons between and among genomes; and functional genomics through which gene expression is analyzed at transcriptome (mRNA), proteome (protein), or metabolome (metabolite) levels, often using high throughput screening.

a grouping in the classification of living organisms having one or more related species. See also scientific name.

a protein that exhibits bright green fluorescence when exposed to blue light, first isolated from a jellyfish. Fluorescent protein genes have been expressed in the cells of many different organisms. Using GFP as a reporter gene, it’s possible to visualize nearly any protein of interest in any cell or tissue of any species. In addition, the GFP gene has been used to genetically engineer biosensing organisms (e.g. fish that detect pollution by selectively fluorescing in the presence of environmental toxins). Capitalizing on the technologies that make GFP so useful to researchers, entrepreneurs within the ornamental fish trade have patented fish genetically engineered to express bright fluorescent colors continuously, and have marketed them as pets (e.g. GloFish).

a broad-spectrum, systemic herbicide used to kill actively growing weeds — especially annual broadleaf weeds. Glufosinate-resistant crops are most helpful as part of integrated pest management strategies. They have fostered the use of more sustainable no-till agricultural practices. Trade names for glufosinate-containing herbicides include Ignite, Rely, Finale, Challenge, and Liberty.

an organism that has been changed genetically using recombinant DNA technology. Genetically Modified Organism is a misnomer since it is used to describe an organism that has been genetically engineered (genetically modified is a less specific term). Genetically engineered varieties generally express one or just a few genes that are different from their parent varieties. Most crops have not been genetically engineered for commercial production, and likely never will be. See genetic engineering, genetic modification.

For purely economic reasons, no one can afford to develop and register a commercial biotech version of most crops — even crops for which that might be very desirable (e.g. coffee). ~Steven Savage

• Is it GMO?
• The European Commission's 2010 summary of a decade of EU-funded GMO research.

enormous gains in third world cereal crop production in the mid-20th century driven by the development of higher yielding plant varieties, the use of pesticides, and improved management techniques. The parts of the world that experienced the green revolution now have far lower rates of poverty and hunger than regions that didn’t.

a process by which thermal radiation from the Earth’s surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases and is re-radiated in all directions. For over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and land development have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in our atmosphere to rise significantly. These gases prevent heat from escaping to space, somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse. (Whereas actual greenhouses work by preventing convection currents from carrying away heat absorbed from sunlight, the atmosphere prevents heat from radiating away from the surface.) Climate change is the result of a strengthening of the greenhouse effect.