Nature was the First Genetic Engineer

Shumny Vladimir

Though the transformation of hereditary material by means of alien DNA transfer occurs for millions and billions years, genetic engineering technologies have undermined selection only about thirty years ago, but now there is no way back.

Rapidly growing humankind needs food, medications, and materials produced using genetically modified organisms (GMO’s). But one of the phobias of our contemporaries is that of alien DNA. Very few people know that nucleic acids are natural components of food: only a half-pound pork chop contains about 0.5 gram of alien DNA! The field of application of transgenic organisms is permanently expanding. Nevertheless, the share of artificially obtained transgenes is very small in the total pool of alien DNA consumed by man.

With the advancement of science fears of transgenic organisms will be eased substantially and education should play an important role in this process. The survey by Academician Vladimir Shumny should fill the “information gap” on one of the last outstanding achievements of humankind.

More information on these and other subjects you can find in the printed version of our journal.