Here in America we often see poor dietary choices and unhealthy lifestyles. More and more Americans are becoming obese, which is defined as increased food intake, non-healthful foods and physical inactivity. The average percentage of obese individuals is 30 percent. Colorado was one of two states to have obesity levels of less than 20 percent. At the same time, millions of Americans struggle to obtain sufficient food. Worldwide — in Asia, Africa and Latin American countries, over 500 million people are living in poverty. Every year, 15 million children die of malnutrition. Much of this is tied into increasing populations, degradation of the environment and poor agricultural practices

Today we are in the forefront of food science and technology. The study of plant genomics can identify gene combinations that lead to significant innovation in agriculture and the production of raw materials for the “4 F's”: food, feed, fiber and fuel. There is hope that an interdisciplinary approach such as molecular plant breeding and a new knowledge of genome structure and function may be able to help improve agriculture in the 21st century. What is a genome? A genome represents the entirety of the individual genes that make up the genetic code of an individual, like a brick building where genes are the individual bricks in the building. More than ever, this is an era in science characterized by understanding the basic mechanisms of life, and natural systems. This is due to the rapid advances in computers, and currently research is being done on many of the essential food crops such as rice, wheat, corn, potatoes and soy beans.

Rice is the primary source of food for more than 50 percent of the world's population. It is the second-most consumed cereal grain and provides more than one-fifth of the caloric intake of people around the world. The rice genome was one of the first cereal crops sequenced. Currently, scientists have identified forms of genes that confer fungal and bacterial resistance, as well as genes that make rice tolerant to environmental stresses. Golden Rice is a transgenic variety of rice, with genes for the synthesis of beta-carotene taken from the daffodil and inserted into the genome of a strain of rice. Beta -carotene is extremely important to us as it is the most efficient precursor of retinol (vitamin-A). Deficiency of vitamin-A causes dry skin, dry eyes, dry mucous surfaces, retarded development and growth, sterility in males and night blindness as well as other types of irreversible blindness. Every year, at least a million children die weakened by vitamin-A deficiency, and about three million go blind.

Plant geneticists also have produced corn with increased levels of beta-carotene. Soybean not only accounts for 70 percent of the world's edible protein, but also is an emerging plant used for biodiesel production. Soybean is second only to corn as an agricultural commodity and is the leading U.S. agricultural export. Most soybeans grown today are genetically modified and have increased yield, drought and heat resistance. New research can lead to new strategies for improving freezing tolerance in wheat, which provides more than one-fifth of the calories consumed by people around the world. Research is also being done to develop therapies for fighting diseases caused by fungi and other microorganisms in wheat. Another important benefit of some biotech crops is they allow farmers to use no-till farming practices. This reduces soil erosion by up to 90 percent and also the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by farm fields.

As many of us know, the first exciting wave of biotechnology — one which promised us disease- and pest-resistant crops, abundant foods with fewer chemical inputs and better environmental stewardship — slowed to a crawl with the problems of product development and regulatory burden. This made it difficult for those in sciences, and in the private sector to deliver on the promises the early ‘80s and through the end of the century. Ever since Golden Rice was produced, there has been an incessant, increasingly polarized public debate over the pros and cons of not just Golden Rice, but all GM crops and organic produce. Websites contain voluminous daily arguments, some of them being quite venomous. Reactionary groups burned down science labs, and destroyed plants. Most of the comments were more generic about how scientists should stop “messing with” our vegetables.

Needless to say, most of the commentators, and the general public, didn't understand that, for instance, the tomatoes in their backyards already are a product of plant breeding — whether it was done in a lab or by selecting varieties over years or decades to produce desired traits. Underlying this unfamiliarity with the science was the unfounded fear that the public's right to decide whether or not to eat genetically modified organisms was taken away. In the current decade we are coming to grips with the reality that science must focus on solving the “grand societal challenges” we face as a global society. For more than 20 years, the people in the academic science community and in the private sector have struggled with how to deal with the lack of acceptance of agriculture biotechnology, and the challenge of bringing new biotech products to market. One thing is clear: We need to take the mystique out of science, especially biotechnology, and allow the public to see research as beneficial to society in a world where food scarcity is an ever-growing crisis.

Breckenridge resident Dr. Joanne Stolen is a former professor of microbiology from Rutgers now teaching classes at CMC. Her scientific interests are in emerging infectious diseases and environmental pollution.