Day 1- Mom/Dad Blog

The development of the embryo from conception to 4 weeks gestation.

About 3 days after conception, the zygote now consists of 16 cells and is called a 16 cell morula (a.k.a. pre-embryo).  The embryo has normally reached the junction of the fallopian tube and the uterus. After 5 days, a cavity appears in the center of the morula. The grouping of cells are now called a blastocyst. It has an inner group of cells which will become the fetus and later the newborn. It has an outer shell of cells which will become the membranes that nourish and protect the inner group of cells.  The embryo has traveled down the fallopian tubes and has started to attach itself to the inside wall of the uterus. The cells in the inside of the blastocyst, called the embryoblast, start forming the embryo. The outer cells, called the trophoblast, start to form the placenta. It continues to be referred to as a pre-embryo.  About 9 or 10 days after conception, the blastocyst has fully attached itself to the inside wall of the uterus. Primitive placental blood circulation has begun.  About 12 days after, the blastocyst has started to produce hormones which can be detected in the woman's urine.  When the embryo is 3 weeks old, it will be about 1/12" long, the size of a pencil point. It most closely resembles a worm - long and thin and with a segmented end. The embryo's heart begins to beat about 18 to 21 days after conception.  4 weeks after conception, the embryo is now about 1/5" long. The embryo looks something like a tadpole. The structure that will develop into a head is visible, as is a noticeable tail. The embryo has structures like the gills of a fish in the area that will later develop into a throat.   

  
What are all of the changes going on within Mom's body and changes going on with Dad?

The changes in the mom's body are that she will experience more fatigue and will need more rest.  The abdomen will protrude slightly in the first few weeks because the uterus is growing. Also, the breasts tend to enlarge because hormones are preparing the breasts for milk production. During the first trimester, a woman may experience morning sickness. Emotional changes that occur during pregnancy are that a woman's hormones are changing tremendously. Mood swings are very common because of these hormone changes and it is not something you have much control over. Pregnant women have many emotional ups and downs. Many women experience feelings of panic, extreme reactions to minor things, and even crying. Also, women begin to have anxiety because they worry if the baby will be "normal" or what problems could occur during labor. Women worry especially about the health of their baby and if the baby will have any problems.  

An expecting father experiences new emotions throughout the pregnancy. Men have fears associated with being a good father and caretaker. It is important to express all of these concerns with your partner, so that you can both work together in coping with the expected changes and planning your new arrival. Many fathers experience stress and depression because they do not have the bond to the child that the mother does. Often, fathers feel like they aren't as important because they do not get to feel the connection the baby that the mother does.

  

What are some things a Mom/Dad should be thinking about doing now that you have discovered you are pregnant?

A mom and dad both should avoid tobacco smoke and smoking in general.  Also, the mother should avoid Caffeine because it stimulates the heart and brain of the unborn baby, and is an addictive substance with drug-like qualities.  The mother should also be avoiding alcohol, saunas, paint, and vitamin A supplements. Mothers should be the healthiest they can be for their baby and should also be stress free. Mothers should try to surround themselves with happy things and have a happy environment.  Fathers should be calm for their wives and also should be stress free.

 

Position Papers

Should there be regulations requiring genetically engineered foods to be labeled?

            Consumers have the right to know what they are eating and therefore, genetically engineered foods should be labeled.  Consumers want to know that their foods don’t have toxins or other chemicals in them. 

            Genetically engineered foods should be labeled for several reasons.  One particular reason is that consumers do not want to be eating foods that could give them a mild or severe allergic reaction.  If genetically engineered foods are not labeled, people could die because they wouldn’t know what was in their food.  In a scientist’s point of view, I believe that the genetically modified foods have plenty of risks and people need to be aware of these risks.  By labeling genetically engineered foods, consumers can become aware of the risks that these genetically engineered foods contain.  The environmentalist in the group said that the genetically engineered foods need to be labeled because the foods are a potential threat to the environment.  He also stated that crops could be destroyed or nature could become unbalanced so we need to protect our environment by labeling harmful genetically modified foods.  The consumer advocate felt very strongly on the labeling of these genetically engineered foods.  She said that the consumer has the right to know and choose what types of food they eat. The labels also provide information and ingredients to the consumer. Consumers need to know if these foods will have ingredients in them that the consumer may be allergic to. The safety of these products is not fully known so the consumer should have the choice on whether or not they want to eat the genetically modified foods.  She also stated that some people may have specific a intolerance or allergies to foods so whether or not the product is genetically modified should also be visible.  The consumer advocate wanted to address the fact that some people have religious beliefs that forbid them to eat certain foods so if the genetically engineered foods aren’t labeled, these people may accidentally eat something that is against their beliefs. Also, vegetarians may eat genetically engineered foods that contain a gene from meat; hence vegetarians have a right to know whether their “genetically modified vegetables” contain meat.  The consumer advocate was very concerned with the health of consumers and wanted to make it very clear that all genetically engineered foods should be labeled to prevent anyone from eating foods that could potentially kill them.  On the other hand, the legislature was concerned with the money that it would take to label each individual product.  The legislature was much divided on whether or not to pass the bill that would require the labeling of genetically modified foods.  He did finally decided to pass it only because he knew that the health of many lives was at stake and he knew that in the end, passing the bill would all be worth it.  Also, he wanted to make sure consumers knew that they were consuming genetically engineered foods so by passing the bill, he was ensuring the health of others.  The environmentalist, scientist, consumer advocate, and legislature each came to the agreement that people use food labeling to express a wide variety of religious, ethical, and environmental preferences. If foods weren’t labeled, the health of a person could be put a very high danger.

            In conclusion, all genetically engineered foods should be labeled so that consumers are aware of the products in their foods. 

Should there be government regulations to protect the environment from genetically engineered crops?

            The environment needs to be protected and there should definitely be regulations to protect.  Genetically engineered crops can destroy the balance of nature so we need to do everything we can to prevent that from happening. 

            Genetically engineered crops can destroy the environment so I believe that the government should be making regulations to protect the environment.  As the scientist I found that genetically engineering crops to be more resistant to pesticides allows farmers to use more pesticides with less fear of crop damage, which in turn will lead to greater pollution of our soil and groundwater.  Also, animals genetically engineered to be larger, to carry specific diseases for research, or to serve as pharmacological factories are frequently sickly, crippled, or otherwise abnormal.  Thus, eating genetically engineered animals or animal products could lead to unforeseen risks for human health.   The environmentalist felt the government should be doing everything in its power to protect the environment.  The environmentalist’s job is to protect the environment so he said that with genetically engineered foods you can create offspring with no biodiversity making the plants susceptible to extinction.  Also, another risk that he stated was that you may alter a plant which could result in creating a super weed.  The consumer advocate stated that genetically engineered foods need to be reviewed for possible risk before being released. Before any genetically engineered crop is turned into food, the FDA should have to formally approve that the crop is safe for human and animal consumption.  She also believes that the government should take control over items that can be harmful, maybe even deadly to people.  She stressed that people have the right to know what they are consuming.  The consumer advocate made an interesting comparison between guns and genetically engineered foods.  She said that guns, like genetically engineered foods, are harmful to people and the government made laws about the guns so why not make laws about the foods?  The point is that the role of the government is to protect its people and by making laws against genetically engineered foods, the government is doing its job.  The legislature was worried about losing money because if people find out these foods aren’t good for the environment, they may not eat the foods as much.  The GE companies hold 2.5 million American jobs in each 50 states so if people don’t eat the genetically engineered foods as much then the employees of these GE companies may not make as much money anymore.  The legislature did finally come to his senses and he realized that some of these genetically engineered foods are destroying crops so he agreed with the group that actions need to be taken by the government to protect the environment.

            The environmentalist, scientist, consumer advocate, and legislature all came to the conclusion that the government needs to have regulations to protect our environment because if steps are not taken, we may no longer have an environment to protect.  

Task #2.

Should there be government regulations requiring genetically engineered foods to be labeled?

In my group, we all agreed that genetically engineered foods need to be labeled.  Consumers have the right to know what they are eating and that it is safe.  Consumers what to know what they are eating for health- related reasons as well.  Consumers want and have a right to labeling of all genetically engineered food, because it is not "substantially equivalent" to conventional food and some individuals can have unpredictable mild to severe allergic reactions. Also, some consumers presently use food labeling to express a wide variety of religious, ethical and environmental preferences.  Consumers should have the choice on whether or not they eat genetically engineered foods.  If foods are genetically engineered, their labels should say this product contains "genetically modified ___", filling in the blank with whatever was being modified. 

Should there be government regulations to protect the environment from genetically engineered crops?

My group came to the conclusion that there should be regulations to protect the environment.  Genetically engineering crops to be more resistant to pesticides allows farmers to use more pesticides with less fear of crop damage, which in turn will lead to greater pollution of our soil and groundwater.  Animals genetically engineered to be larger, to carry specific diseases for research, or to serve as pharmacological factories are frequently sickly, crippled, or otherwise abnormal. Thus, eating genetically engineered animals or animal products could lead to unforeseen risks for human health.  Genetically engineered foods can be allowed if they are healthy and will not harm the environment or someone's health.

Scientist Statement

We believe that the risks outweigh the benefits because the risks are more harmful than the benefits being more beneficial. Overall, the risks have more a long term affect than the benefits leading to more life long problems that can occur. These risks include: modified plants or animals that may have genetic changes that are unexpected and harmful, modified organisms that may interbreed with natural organisms and out-compete them, leading to extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects, and toxicity levels of naturally occurring food toxins might result in new allergens.

Scientist- Are genetically engineered foods the cure for world food issues?

Genetically engineered foods can solve many world food issues but also could be harmful to a person's health. There are certainly many benefits genetically engineered foods. These include: more nutritious foods, tastier foods, disease and drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resource, decreased use of pesticides, increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life, and food with more desirable traits. There are also certain risks that must be taken to consideration such as modified plants or animals that may have genetic changes that are unexpected and harmful, modified organisms that may interbreed with natural organisms and out-compete them, leading to extinction of the original organism or to other unpredictable environmental effects, and plants that may be resistant to some pests and more susceptible to others. Some people tend to overstate the benefits of genetically engineered foods while others tend to overstate the risks but research has shown that the benefits outweigh the risks significantly. The reason being is that genetically engineered plants could produce enough food to feed Third World countries. Also, genetically engineered golden rice had enough beta-carotene to help prevent blindness caused by Vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. Genetically engineered foods benefit farmers and the environment. Activists groups who are opposed to agricultural biotechnology say that the gold rice is "fools gold" because it has a potential to be good. The activists claim that the rice would not provide the recommended daily serving of vitamin A or iron. Other people are not comfortable with animal cloning.
 Overall, genetically engineered foods could cure world food issues and stop all world hunger.

Background Information

What is food biotechnology?
1. Food biotechnology is a form of food processing.  Biotechnology is any technique which uses living organisms to make products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microbes for specific uses.  In addition to transferring genes between species, it is also possible to "switch off" undesirable traits such as the production of a particular protein.

What are genetically engineered foods?
2. Genetically engineered foods have had foreign genes inserted into their genetic codes and can be done with plants, animals, or microorganisms.  Genetically modified organisms have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering.

What are the potential benefits of genetically engineered foods overall?
3. Certain benefits of genetically engineered foods would be the reduced use of pesticides, reduced use of herbicides, reduced use of fertilizers, longer shelf-life, and better flavor.

What are the potential risks of genetically engineered foods overall?
4. The risks would be the lack of long term studies on food safety, lack of long term studies on environmental impact, and diminished opportunity for organic/sustainable agriculture.