Historically, in the early days of the birth of modern science and technology, science and technology and humanities and culture were almost integrated. However, with the development and specialization of science and technology, science and technology and humanistic culture are becoming more and more independent and alienated from humanistic culture, so that the gap between them is getting bigger and bigger, and a gap has emerged. As a social activity and culture, science and technology can be used from any angle, but it is restricted by human value rationality and ethical principles. In the late 1950s, Si Nuo, a British scholar, clearly put forward the issues of scientific culture, humanistic culture and their division. Since then, although the meaning and division of "two cultures" have different expressions and emphases in different historical periods, people's attention to this issue is short-lived, so there are two different tendencies. On the one hand, people have been trying to bridge the gap between the two cultures in many fields, especially in the field of education emphasized by Si Nuo at that time. On the other hand, the split between "two cultures" still exists, and there are new developments under the new situation. Internationally, there is a cultural conflict represented by "scientific war" in academic circles. At home, even in the field of mass communication, there is a cultural confrontation represented by the dispute between "scientism" and "anti-scientism", not to mention the one-sidedness in talent training caused by the separation of arts and sciences and the over-specialization caused by institutional factors. However, as Si Nuo realized decades ago, the dangerous separation of "two cultures" will bring adverse effects on the development of society and human beings themselves. In this regard, people must be knowledgeable and meticulous, so that people have both scientific and humanistic qualities and become people who develop harmoniously with nature and science and technology. This should be our ideal goal.
Gene is a DNA fragment containing specific genetic information, and it is a functional unit of genetic information. The technology of introducing artificially separated and modified genes into the genome of an organism can cause genetic modification of biological characters due to the expression of the introduced genes, which is called transgenic technology. People often say that "genetic engineering", "genetic engineering" and "genetic transformation" are synonyms of transgenic technology, and organisms transformed by transgenic technology are often called "genetically modified organisms" (genes). The basic process is: separating, purifying or artificially synthesizing the required specific gene, that is, preparing the target gene, combining the target gene with the self-replicating vector gene in vitro through restriction endonuclease cleavage and ligase connection, that is, constructing a recombinant vector containing the target gene; The recombinant vector is introduced into the host cell, so that the target gene contained in it can be replicated and expressed in the host cell, and the protein encoded by the gene can be generated, or new characters needed by human beings can be generated, or even new biological types can be created. From the basic flow of transgenic technology, we can see that transgenic technology is a technology to modify and transform genes according to people's wishes, so as to directionally change biological genetic traits. New genetic information can be transferred to another organism as needed, thus providing a means to improve the characteristics of crops and livestock varieties, or to produce safe and efficient drugs, or to make vaccines to prevent serious diseases, or to carry out gene therapy, or to make a series of foods or protein. It is the core technology of modern biotechnology, which plays an important role and significance in developing industrial production and medicine and solving human food, health, energy and environmental problems. Its development has penetrated into all aspects of the social field and is another liberation of productive forces. Transgenic technology has changed human production, lifestyle and thinking mode.
At present, the global population is growing rapidly and the cultivated land area is decreasing. The food problem has become one of the most difficult problems faced by many countries in the world. "At present, there are 654.38+03 billion people suffering from poverty and 852 million people suffering from hunger or malnutrition in the world. It is difficult for traditional planting methods to increase crop yield." Clive James, Chairman of ISAAA Board of Directors, told reporters that although genetic products and genetically modified crops are not omnipotent, they are very important. To meet people's food supply and improve the quality of food supply, we must rely on science and technology. The increasingly mature transgenic technology is pushing the biotechnology industry to become one of the most important industries in the new century, profoundly changing the medical and health, agriculture, population and food situation of human beings. At present, the application of transgenic technology in food production has achieved remarkable results, and genetically modified food has quietly stepped onto people's table.
Genetically modified food is a food processed and produced with genetically modified organisms as raw materials. The earliest transgenic crop in the world was born in 1983, which is 1 tobacco containing antibiotic antibodies. It was not until 10 years later that 1 market-oriented genetically modified food appeared in the United States. It is 1 delayed ripening tomato. It was not until 1996 that ketchup made from it was allowed to be sold in supermarkets. The Association completed its annual report entitled "Global Situation of Commercial Biotechnology/Transgenic Crops in 2006". Cliff James said: In 2006, the global planting area of genetically modified crops increased rapidly at the rate of 13%, surpassing 1 100 million hectares for the first time. The number of farmers planting genetically modified crops has also increased rapidly, exceeding100000 for the first time. According to this report, in 2006, genetically modified crops achieved several milestone successes, not only setting new records in planting area and the number of farmers. From 1996 to 2006, the cumulative planting area also exceeded 500 million hectares, reaching 577 million hectares. From 1996 to 2006, it has achieved an unprecedented 60-fold increase, which is the highest adoption rate of crop biotechnology in recent years. According to statistics, most of the 9.3 million small farmers are genetically modified cotton growers, including 6.8 million farmers in China, 2.3 million farmers in India, 654.38 million farmers in the Philippines and thousands of farmers in South Africa, as well as farmers in seven other developing countries who planted genetically modified crops in 2006. In 2006, transgenic soybean was still the most important transgenic crop, accounting for 58.6 million hectares (accounting for 57% of the total planting area of transgenic crops in the world), followed by transgenic corn (25.2 million hectares, accounting for 25%), transgenic cotton (13.4 million hectares, accounting for 65.438+03%) and transgenic rape (4.8 million hectares). In 2006, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China remained the main growers of genetically modified crops in the world, with the United States alone planting 54.6 million hectares (accounting for 53% of the total area of biotechnology crops in the world). Cliff James said that the 22 countries planting genetically modified crops include 1 1 developing countries and 1/industrialized countries, and the planting areas of the first eight countries all exceed110,000 hectares, which has laid a broad and stable foundation for the future growth of genetically modified crops in the world. According to the report, in 2005, the net economic benefit of global transgenic crop growers was estimated to be 5.6 billion US dollars, and the cumulative benefit from 1.996 to 2005 was as high as 27 billion US dollars (developing countries1.30 billion US dollars, industrialized countries1.40 billion US dollars). "At present, there are 654.38+03 billion people suffering from poverty and 852 million people suffering from hunger or malnutrition in the world. It is difficult for traditional planting methods to increase crop yield." Cliff James told reporters that although genetic products and genetically modified crops are not omnipotent, they are very important. The organization estimates that in the commercialization process in the next 10 year, due to the adoption of "gene superposition" and the expansion of the planting area of crops with important characteristics such as agronomy, quality improvement and drought resistance, the planting scope of genetically modified crops will continue to expand. It is estimated that by 2025, more than 20 million farmers in more than 40 countries will plant 200 million hectares of genetically modified crops. According to the report, the impact of planting genetically modified crops is mainly reflected in the following aspects: improving productivity and income, doubling crop output on the same land area, and the output value of genetically modified crops exceeded 50 billion US dollars in 2006; Protect biodiversity, protect water resources and greatly reduce the use of pesticides. It can be seen that transgenic technology is promoting the development of human production with strong power. Using transgenic technology can produce food that is beneficial to human health and disease resistance. The so-called genetically modified food is to use biotechnology to transfer the genes of some organisms to other species, transform the genetic material of organisms, and make them change to the goals needed by human beings in terms of traits, nutritional quality and consumption quality. Foods produced by using genetically modified organisms as direct food or raw materials are genetically modified foods.
Japanese scientists have successfully cultivated new rice varieties that can reduce serum cholesterol content and prevent arteriosclerosis through transgenic technology; European scientists have newly bred transgenic rice rich in vitamin A and iron, which may help reduce the incidence of iron deficiency anemia and vitamin A deficiency around the world, especially in developing countries where rice is the staple food. Genetically modified food can get rid of the influence of seasons and climate, so that people can eat fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. At the same time, people also found that the fruits produced by genetically modified crops have unique flavor both in appearance and taste. British scientists transplanted a gene that can destroy chlorophyll variation into grass, which can make the grass evergreen all the year round. In addition to the greening function, it is also good for animal husbandry. Because grass is more nutritious than hay, it improves meat quality. The United States has the largest number of genetically modified foods. More than 60% of processed foods contain genetically modified ingredients, and more than 90% of soybeans, more than 50% of corn and wheat are genetically modified. In fact, China is the fourth largest producer of genetically modified crops in the world. 200 1, the global planting area of genetically modified crops exceeds 50 million hectares, and that of China is 600,000 hectares. At present, there are four kinds of genetically modified crops that have been approved for commercialization in China: cotton, tomato, sweet pepper and petunia. Among them, there are only two kinds of food: tomatoes and sweet peppers. Because there is no good variety of sweet pepper, there is no sowing, but there are tens of thousands of acres of genetically modified tomatoes in China. From October 2002 to October 2009, China imported 4.58 million tons of soybeans, mainly relying on the United States, Argentina and Brazil, accounting for 4 1%, 36% and 23% of the total imports respectively. 70% of soybeans in the United States are genetically modified soybeans, and 90% of soybeans in Argentina are genetically modified soybeans (only the Brazilian government prohibits the sowing of genetically modified soybeans). It can be inferred that about 80% of imported soybeans in China are genetically modified soybeans. These soybeans are mainly used to extract oil (edible oil). It can be said that most of the soybean oil, tofu, soybean milk and so on we eat are genetically modified foods. With the promotion of China's entry into WTO and the arrival of global integration, eating genetically modified food will become an unavoidable fact. 3 rationality of transgenic technology
At present, most of the safety problems of genetically modified products have not been finally confirmed, and some are only obtained from animal experiments, and the probability of occurrence is very low. But once such a problem occurs, it will have an irreversible negative impact on human beings, so even if there are some potential hazards, people are very sensitive. Defining the rationality of transgenic technology is not the general unity of understanding rationality and value purpose, and we can't stop at transgenic technology and give up its great advantages.
Then, when more and more genetically modified foods are presented to us, the first question is: Will genetically modified foods cause human variation and endanger human health? As a result, in Britain, there has been an incident in which environmental protection organizations smashed genetically modified foods in supermarkets because of insect-resistant potatoes, and various media have denounced genetically modified foods; Although most consumers in the United States and Canada have accepted genetically modified foods, there are still 27% consumers who believe that eating genetically modified foods may cause health hazards. Do people have side effects after eating genetically modified food? The reason for suspicion is that once the genetically modified crops that pests dare not eat easily become grain and agricultural and sideline products, we can't live without three meals a day. Is it digested with those insect-resistant genes?
As far as genetically modified organisms are concerned, due to the lack of large samples and long-term scientific research data, people still know little about the risks or possible harm of genetically modified organisms. The main puzzles are as follows: ① Food safety. At present, there are only animal experiments, no human experiments and no long-term observation, and the safety is still inconclusive. In the five years since the advent of genetically modified foods, about 200 million people around the world have eaten thousands of genetically modified foods, and no food safety incident has been reported. ② Biological enrichment. The enrichment of beneficial substances or the accumulation of harmful substances in the food chain is very important for the health of higher organisms. At present, genetically modified crops are mostly used for feed. At present, there is still a lack of comprehensive and systematic scientific research conclusions on what will happen to this kind of genetically modified organisms after adding insect-resistant genes or weed-resistant genes that were not available before, what will happen after being enriched by domestic animals, and what will happen to people after eating them. ③ Relationship between medicine and food. Using transgenic technology, animal drug bank and plant drug bank can be established. For example, eating a tomato can prevent hepatitis B, but whether this transgenic drug is dangerous to human body needs long-term research and monitoring to draw a conclusion. This relationship is not clear at present. ④ Eco-environmental impact. Genetically modified organisms have advantages that natural organisms do not have, but if released into the environment, it may cause the original ecological balance to be destroyed and change the competitive relationship between species. ⑤ Gene pollution. Genetic drift caused by genetically modified organisms may destroy the genetic diversity of wild animals. For example, the pollen of genetically modified crops will drift with the wind, and the resulting genetic pollution will be hard to prevent. ⑥ Global supervision. At present, many countries with more genetically modified products adopt the policy of "loosening the outside and tightening the inside", but the export of genetically modified products to some developing countries has not been explained. This phenomenon is very unfavorable to the protection of global biological security.
In this case, the safety of transgenic technology (including genetically modified food) has quickly attracted great attention. The debate on the safety of genetically modified crops originated from several typical international events, such as Pusztai incident, butterfly incident, Canadian "super weed" incident, Mexican corn incident and environmental damage caused by BT cotton in China. Ecologists worry that the large-scale release of genetically modified organisms into the environment may cause irreversible ecological disasters, including gene diffusion, uncontrolled growth, harm to other organisms, species alienation and virus generation. Health experts worry that genetically modified organisms and their products, as food, may have some toxic effects and allergic reactions on human body. For example, the transferred growth hormone gene may have a great impact on human growth and development. Due to the complexity of human biochemical changes, some effects take a long time to appear and monitor. The essence of the international debate on genetically modified crops is not purely a scientific issue, but more an economic and trade issue. The principle of interest can basically be divided into two factions: the opposition represented by green and equality NGOs, and the supporters represented by companies involved in biotechnology development and commercial operation. Now the safety of genetically modified crops has become a technical barrier to international trade. Due to the hype of some media, it has a great negative impact on consumers' psychology and the industrialization of genetically modified crops. Although the scientific community continues to produce all kinds of evidence to dispel social doubts about genetically modified crops. However, because some mechanisms of genetically modified foods cannot be fully explained, people are increasingly worried about the safety of genetically modified foods, which greatly affects the popularization of this technology. Because the safety of genetically modified foods is still inconclusive, the international community is generally cautious. 200 1 The United Nations Biosafety Protocol signed by 1 13 countries and regions clearly stipulates that the safety of genetically modified products must be evaluated, and the consent of the importing country should be sought and marked when the genetically modified products are transferred across the border.
It is understandable to be skeptical about the safety of genetically modified crops if we only look at the genetically modified crops themselves. Because transgenic organisms are mostly obtained by introducing insect-resistant and disease-resistant toxic genes through transgenic technology, there are always toxic substances in this transgenic plant, and its toxicity and residue will not have obvious impact on human health for the time being, but whether it will have a small cumulative effect on human body for a long time needs further study. However, it should be noted that transgenic crops are only a product of transgenic technology, and transgenic crops and transgenic technology are different concepts. We can't question transgenic technology just because we doubt the safety of genetically modified crops. What's more, the "right and wrong" of genetically modified crops is still inconclusive. At present, almost every developing country is facing great pressure of population growth and cultivated land reduction. The only way to solve this problem is to improve agricultural production efficiency through high technology. The large-scale application of transgenic technology can significantly reduce production costs and improve production efficiency, and its development prospects are very considerable. As a branch of biotechnology, transgenic technology shows more and more advantages in transforming human nature, variety improvement, biomedicine and human health due to its application. As far as human health is concerned, people can make animal models of various human diseases through transgenic animals to serve human health. Therefore, a new technology itself is not right or wrong, but lies in the purpose of people's application. As long as it is developed and applied from the perspective of human survival and health, its contribution to mankind will only outweigh the disadvantages.
We believe that with the acceleration of commercialization of genetically modified food, genetically modified food will surely become a delicious food on people's table.
Public opinion survey on "choosing genetically modified food" on the Internet: 4 Transgenic technology has promoted the development of human beings and social economy.
Transgenic technology is a new technology, and it needs to be cautious in the management and approval of research and industrialization, but this caution should be based on science and development. If the examination and approval procedures are too cumbersome, unscientific and self-disciplined, the development of transgenic technology in China will be restricted and stifled, and the opportunity for transgenic technology to benefit China will be lost. The plant transgenic technology in 2 1 century will play an important role in the sustainable development of agriculture and the food security of10.6 billion people in China. In the face of predatory and monopolistic exploitation of important plant genetic resources by some developed countries and fierce competition for genetically modified crops market in China, China, as a big agricultural country, will not be able to occupy a place in the international high-tech industrialization competition in the 2nd/kloc-0th century if it does not speed up the development of biotechnology, and China's agriculture will fall into a passive situation controlled by people.
Although breakthroughs have been made in the research and industrialization of transgenic plants at home and abroad, it should also be noted that due to the limitation of technological development, the application scope of plant gene products is not very wide at present. Generally speaking, insect-resistant and herbicide-resistant genetic engineering products have developed rapidly, and the research and development of disease-resistant genetic engineering needs to be further deepened. Genetic engineering such as stress resistance, quality improvement and growth and development needs new breakthroughs in basic research. It should also be noted that China's plant genetic engineering technology system has been initially established and has made gratifying and remarkable progress. However, the overall research level, especially the basic research and innovation ability, as well as accelerating the development of research and industrialization of transgenic plants in China, it is suggested to focus on the following aspects in the near future:
Continue to increase the state's investment in basic research and industrialization of genetically modified plants, actively encourage and guide enterprises to invest in biotechnology research, and broaden the channels of technical cooperation at home and abroad.
(2) Strengthen the unified management of the national agricultural biotechnology research plan, formulate and improve a series of policies conducive to the introduction of talents and the transformation of research results, set up a national research and industrialization base for genetically modified plants as soon as possible, and gradually establish a research and development and industrialization development system suitable for China's national conditions.
③ For genetically modified plant products with relatively mature technology, such as insect-resistant cotton, insect-resistant corn, insect-resistant rice and herbicide-resistant crops, efforts should be intensified to realize industrialization as soon as possible.
At present, we should pay special attention to basic research such as genomics and bioinformatics, concentrate on protecting and developing China's biological gene resources, and isolate and clone a number of new genes with independent intellectual property rights that can be used in plant genetic engineering.
While trying to improve the safety management system of genetically modified plants, we should establish and improve the technical system of genetic safety evaluation, especially the safety detection and management measures of genetically modified foods as soon as possible. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen legislation and upgrade some promulgated laws and regulations to national laws and regulations, on the other hand, it is also necessary to do a good job in public propaganda and public opinion guidance, treat agricultural biosafety issues with a scientific attitude, and actively guide the rapid and healthy development of China's transgenic plant industrialization.
Experts believe that genetically modified crops can better control pests and diseases, resist drought, increase production and have high nutritional content, so their development prospects are very broad. Looking forward to the second decade of the development of genetically modified crops in 2006-20 15, the global planting area of genetically modified crops will continue to increase, reaching 200 million hectares. By 20 15, at least 20 million farmers in more than 40 countries will plant genetically modified crops. By 20 15, the global population will increase to 9 billion. Only by improving agricultural productivity can we meet the human demand for food, and modern biotechnology is undoubtedly one of the important means to improve agricultural productivity. People can also use gene technology to produce fast-growing fish and vaccines needed by pharmaceutical industry to meet the needs of human life. However, experts also stressed that the development of genetically modified food must have strict supervision, scientific inspection and international legislation to avoid its harm to human health and the environment.
Although the definition of the scope of high-tech fields is not exactly the same in all countries in the world, life science and biotechnology are placed in an important position almost without exception. Especially in the last two decades, life science and biotechnology have developed rapidly, which has opened up broad development prospects for medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural and environmental protection industries all over the world. Therefore, the rational development and utilization of transgenic technology will certainly promote the harmonious development of human beings and social economy. You can learn from some key points selectively.