What Does GMO Mean and How Are GMOs Made?
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Let’s break that down:
- Genetically refers to genes, which are made of DNA, the instruction manual for how cells grow, function, and develop.
- Modified means that something has been changed or adjusted.
- Organism refers to any living thing not just plants. While many people associate GMOs with crops, organisms also include bacteria, fungi, and even animals.
How Are GMOs Created?
The process of creating a GMO begins at the microscopic level. Scientists insert a specific gene into the DNA of a single cell. This gene is carefully selected to give the organism a new trait, such as resistance to pests or improved nutrition.
Even though the DNA being inserted is incredibly small (invisible even under powerful microscopes), it’s added to a massive amount of existing DNA. To put it in perspective: if you stretched out all the DNA from just one corn cell, it would be about six feet long! Into this long strand, only a tiny segment is modified, meaning the vast majority of the organism’s genetic code remains unchanged.
Once the gene is inserted, scientists use natural plant hormones to stimulate the cell to grow and divide. As the cell multiplies, it begins to form different tissues and eventually develops into a full plant. Because all the new cells come from the original modified cell, every cell in the plant contains the new gene.
This precise process allows scientists to introduce beneficial traits into crops more efficiently and accurately than traditional breeding methods.
With that in mind, GMOs are living beings that have had their genetic code changed in some way. While conventional breeding, which has been going on for centuries, involves mixing all of the genes from two different sources, producing a GMO is much more targeted. Rather than crossing two plants out in the field, they insert a gene or two into individual cells in a lab. Yet, as mentioned earlier, GM technology can also be used on microorganisms. For example, bacteria have been genetically modified to produce medicines that can cure diseases or vaccines that prevent them. A commonly used medicine that comes from a genetically modified source is insulin, which is used to treat diabetes, but there are many others.
Updated June, 2025