CROPS FOR CHANGE
CHANGE THE WORLD WITH GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS
"All great achievements
require time."
-MAYA ANGELOU
In A Matter Of Time...
Today, GM foods are an integrated part of our diet. However, it all began the discovery of the basic unit of life: the cell. Since that discovery in 1665 by Robert Hooke, we as a species have come a long way to develop methods of genetic engineering. To find out what key events and people have led up to the modern day GM foods, check out the timeline below.
Robert Hooke studied fragments of a cork and discovered tiny pores. He named these pores "cells."
1665
1674
Antony van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to see a live cell while studying the algae Spirogyra.
1600
1700
1800
Charles Darwin’s research relating to breeding is published in The Origin of the Species.
1859
1871
1866
1879
Gregor Mendel published his paper, “Experiments in Plant Hybridisation.” In his paper, Mendel describes the law of independent assortment, law of independent segregation, and law of dominance.
Walther Flemming stained salamander embryo cells and - as the cell split apart - witnessed string-like substances that are now known as “chromosomes.”
Friedrich Miescher’s discovery and research of "nuclein" - now known as DNA - is published.
1900
Late 1960s
1968
1973
1976
1983
1994
1997
1996
1999
Werner Arber - along with Stewart Linn - studied E. coli and discovered two types of enzymes: a “methylase” and a “restriction nuclease” - both of which are important for precise DNA cutting.
Marshall Nirenberg, Har Gobind Khorana, and Robert Holley won a Nobel Prize for their in-depth analysis of the genetic code (including cracking the genetic code by matching amino acids with corresponding nucleotides).
Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer invented recombinant DNA technology when they copied foreign genes inside bacteria. One year later, they - along with Annie Chang - developed the first GM organism.
Kary Mullis invented the polymerase chain reaction, a process that creates billions of DNA copies using a single piece of DNA. The same year, a tobacco plant that resists antibiotics (developed at Washington University) becomes the first transgenic plant.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) created guidelines for the use of recombinant DNA technology. The same year, Stanley Cohen and Herbert Boyer established Genentech and started developing insulin by placing insulin-producing genes inside bacteria.
GM tomatoes (engineered with a longer shelf life) became the first GM crop available for purchase in
the United States.
A genetically modified tomato puree created in California becomes the first GM food that the United States exports to Europe.
Genetically modified crops spread internationally - over 100 million acres of GM seeds are sowed. The same year, Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer released the result of their research: “golden rice” - a variety of rice that contains higher levels of vitamin A.
GM foods in Europe are required to be labeled according to a regulation passed by the European Union.
2000
Thomas Fairchild - known as "the forgotten father of the flower garden" - became the first person in Europe to produce a hybrid plant.
1700-1720
1953
James Watson and Francis Crick published their research on DNA’s double helix structure (for which they were awarded a Nobel Prize in 1962).
1999
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approves Roundup Ready sugar beets created by Monsanto.
2005
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approves a variety of corn containing several genetically modified traits - including pest resistance - created by Syngenta.
2010
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approves genetically modified soybean - engineered to lower amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids and increase quantities of monounsaturated fatty acids - created by Pioneer.
2010
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approves Roundup Ready alfalfa created by Monsanto, including no restrictions on planting.
2011
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves genetically modified papaya strains that were created by the University of Hawaii and Cornell University.