Every living thing has DNA. DNA has the genetic codes necessary for life. Scientists can modify the DNA of living things by extracting genes from one organism, such as a carrot, and inserting them into another living thing, such as a tomato. Scientists do this to combine the helpful traits of different plants. Foods that have been genetically engineered are called transgenic foods.

For example, rice is an important food for many people around the world, but it doesn’t include very many vitamins. On the other hand, daffodil flowers are full of vitamin A but are not good to eat. Mr. Seemy’s class read an article about a group of scientists who invented a transgenic rice called “Golden Rice” that includes a daffodil’s gene for making vitamin A. The author of this article claimed that eating Golden Rice instead of regular rice would make people healthier by preventing them from being undernourished.

On a different day, Mr. Seemy assigned his class to read an article that was critical of transgenic foods. This skeptical author thought that producing more GM food could have unexpected and dangerous consequences.

Mr. Seemy drew a T-chart on the whiteboard. He also passed out slips of paper with statements about Golden Rice.

Here are the statements about Golden Rice. Can you and a partner sort them into the correct sections of the T-chart? One has already been done for you as an example.

Discussion Question:

Do the benefits of Golden Rice outweigh the risks?