Are GMOs Safe?

What is a GMO?

The term "GMO" stands for a genetically modified organism. Like the name suggests, a genetically modified organism's genome has been altered to cater to specific needs. 

Genetically Modified Food?

"Genetic modifications" might sound foreign to a lot of us, but most of the food we eat is genetically modified. Just about 85% of the corn produced in the U.S is genetically modified so the crop can be resistant to herbicide glyphosate, a chemical used to kill weeds. Soybeans are one of the most heavily genetically modified foods in the U.S, with about 94% of it being GM. It is modified to increase its content of oleic acid that reduces LDL cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol. Milk is another GM food. Cows are given rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) that increases the production of milk. Around 10% of the world's crop are genetically modified and about 70% of processed foods in the U.S are said to have one or more GM ingredients in them. 

Why Do People Oppose GM Foods?

People mainly oppose GM foods simply because there is not a lot known about their effects on human health. The increase in production of crops that are resistant to a certain chemical, eg: herbicides, results in extensive use of the chemical. Weeds and insects also become resistant to what the crop is made resistant to. A survey conducted in the U.S showed that over 50% of participants said that a tomato would taste like fish if it was modified with fish genes (it wouldn't). This is known as psychological essentialism. Simply put, people thought all the genes in an organism cause the organism's "typical" characteristics. These are people's main concerns when it comes to genetically modified foods.

Should You Really Be Worried?

At this point, no. So far, all research done has shown that GM foods do not change the nutritional value in food and is not harmful to humans. A study done in 2015 showed that 37% of participants thought that GMOs were safe. This shows that there is a psychological association that would be hard to change. To say definitively whether or not GM foods affect human health, decades of research would be required. With the information we have, genetically modified foods are not something we should be worried about.

Citations

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-oppose-gmos-even-though-science-says-they-are-safe/
https://www.medicalbag.com/the-fit-md/why-are-we-so-afraid-of-gmos/article/653830/
https://quizlet.com/73932714/gmos-5-flash-cards/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/28/gmo-questions/1658225/
https://heartuk.org.uk/health-and-high-cholesterol
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/builtlean/diet-and-nutrition_b_4323937.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html
https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2016/05/gmo-safety-debate-is-over/
https://www.nongmoproject.org/gmo-facts/what-is-gmo/

Why Does Helium Change Your Voice?

   I'm pretty sure we've all heard this one. We've all sucked in helium and enjoyed the chipmunk voices that are heard as a result, but what causes the change in one's voices?

   A person's normal voice is determined by several factors. The shape of the throat, mouth, lips, nasal passages, and tongue all contribute to making the sound of the voice. 

   Your voice starts in your larynx, or voice box, that has your vocal cords. The folded membranes in the cords vibrate when air passes over them and the vibrations resonate throughout, creating a sound, the voice. 

   The air one breathes is mostly made up of oxygen and nitrogen. Helium is much less dense than such gases. Due to the lower density, sound travels up to twice as fast as it does through other gases. When you inhale helium, the air moves over the vocal cords much faster than oxygen and nitrogen. This makes the vocal tract more prone to high-frequency sounds, thus changing the voice.

Citations

https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-does-helium-change-the-sound-of-your-voice
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-inhaling-helium/

   

   

Using Magnetism and Nanotechnology to Clean Up Oil Spills

Definitions

Magnetism can be defined as a physical phenomenon caused by magnetic fields.

Nano-science is the study of phenomena a few nano-meters small. 

Analysis


Oil spills, as we all know, are extremely harmful to all marine life. The chemicals used to clean the spills aren't very safe either.

Scientists have found a way to put nano-science and magnetism together to create a more effective, safe way to clean up oil spills. How?

Researchers have taken ferroparticles (magnetic particles a few nano-meters small) and mixed it with a carrier fluid like oil. This creates a substance known as a ferrofluid. This substance is magnetic. The way oil spills would be cleaned by using this is by pouring ferroparticles over the surface of the oil and using a magnet to clean it up. 

Conclusion

This way of cleaning oil spills however, is not very practical on a large scale. Who knows, maybe something more effective will come up in the future.

I did my 7th grade science fair project on this and got an A! Try it yourself: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p036/environmental-engineering/can-nanotechnology-help-clean-up-ocean-oil-spills

Citations

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/EnvEng_p036/environmental-engineering/can-nanotechnology-help-clean-up-ocean-oil-spills
https://www.google.com/search?q=definition+of+magnetism&oq=definition+of+magnetism&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.10200j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?ei=LFawWvDuLKymjwTNtqqoAw&q=definition+of+nanotechnology&oq=definition+of+nanotechn&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0l3j0i22i30k1l7.12222.14274.0.15336.9.6.0.3.3.0.142.382.0j3.3.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..3.6.387...0i20i263k1.0.OMpC_NLqVEc