Episode 4 – Genetically Modified Organisms
In this episode, host Adam Emery looks at the science behind Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and talks about what we already have available as well as what might be coming in the future. He goes into the myths and some scary realities behind what GMOs could do in the future and whether or not we should trust them or be afraid of them. There are some success stories as well as some warnings about what could go wrong and why.
Just a quick note of follow-up for this episode. In the episode I talk about the recent genetically modified mosquitoes that were released into the wild to combat the Zika virus and uncontrolled mosquito population. There have been conflicting reports about the long-term impact of that release. It’s too early to tell what the overall impact will be but there have been some inaccurate reports that the release led to freakishly strong/resistant mosquitoes. Further study is needed, but it looks like the release was successful and the survival rate of the modified bugs was within expected parameters.