But where traditional breeding blended vast numbers of genes and allowed them to sort themselves out in a new, improved plant, today's technology allows researchers to single out the gene or genes with the specific traits they are trying to cultivate. In the case of Monsanto, scientists took a gene from a naturally occurring bacterium in the soil and used it to fortify beta-carotene levels in crops such as rape seed or canola used in subsistence farming. Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A. Through genetic modification, researchers turned the seeds and oil of these crops into high sources of vital nutrients. In places like the United States and Europe, which can take fresh fruit and vegetables for granted, vitamin A deficiency isn't an issue. But some parts of the world don't have that luxury, and for them genetically modified foods are a sight saver.
Researchers see other advantages to their work.
They can improve the shelf life of their products, making them more available to consumers. Some foresee the day when biotechnology could provide edible vaccines and reduce sensitivity to allergies that can be life-threatening to some. Against these benefits, critics offer only fear of the unknown. Biotechnology may harm the environment or man himself in some way researchers cannot predict, the argument goes. Many cite a letter from a Cornell University professor in the journal Nature, which said that Monarch Butterfly larvae died after eating leaves exposed to pollen from genetically modified corn.