Scientists are changing the nature of the foods that we eat. We have to turn to those who can interpret the changes for us. Scientists have cracked the genetic code which determines the specific characteristics of all living things and are now able to combine genes that do not mix naturally with each other. They know how to snip an individual gene from the cell of one species and insert it into the cells of a totally different species. This is called genetic engineering.
Genetic change is nothing new.
The process of gene selection happens naturally each time a gene mutates in the course of being transferred from parents to offspring. But, in the natural world, plants, animals and micro-organisms generally breed within the same species and changes occur over a long timescale. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, makes it possible to transfer genes from one species to another and dramatically speed up the process. The technology has thus revolutionised the old and slow method of crossing plants or animals to obtain a desired characteristic. Certainly, mankind has benefited tremendously by experiments.