Artificial slection has resulted in plants that are more disease-resistant, cows that produce more milk, and racehorses that run faster. One must wonder what will come next in the blog entry, answer the following question - under what circumstances should humans be artificially selecting plants or animals, if any?
The use of artificial selection for breeding specially designed living organisms has been around for a long time. Artificial selection can be seen in almost everything we see from the fruits and vegetables we eat to the dogs we keep as pets. Selective breeding itself isn't too complicated, all it really boils down to is managing its reproduction process; for example I saw a National Geographic video on these genetically engineered cattle that were practically just walking mounds of muscle! These cows were created after years and years of selective breeding, they took the cows that were missing the gene that regulated muscle growth and made them mate only with cows with the same trait! Making generations and generations of cows with irregular amounts of muscle growth because of the missing gene! These "Belgian Blues"as they are called, literally weigh more than a ton!
DAYUMM.These cows help produce meat with almost no fat at all, creating meat that cooks faster and contains less cholesterol and calories. One problem these cows face is dystocia. Because of the almost extreme sizes of the cattle, most of the bulls can't give birth by natural means and have to undergo a caesarean section. These cattle undergo very special treatment, unlike regular cows because of their specialty so their meat run at higher rates than normal meats.
seriously, this one's even got a nose ring and a Mohawk! HOW COOL IS THAT.
But is all this necessary? sure. I mean why shouldn't we play god? artificial selection has helped crops survive droughts and live through insect infestations, helped domesticate animals and helped feed demand. Americans demand only a select amount of animals for consumption: cows, chickens, pigs and lambs. Every once in a while its something different but most of the time its these four animals, what if the milk your drinking was only possible because the cow it came from was genetically modified so it would meet the demands being made? We are a picky species, we need to have a specific vegetables and proteins in order to assure our health, unlike other wild animals who just eat whatever lands in front of them or is abundant in their habitat. So we need these genetically modified animals and plants so we can meet the demands. Large percentiles of the foods being produced and distributed in the U.S are genetically modified! These include: Tomatos, Bananas, Potatoes, Sugar and many more, your entire dinner tonight could consist of genetically modified meat and vegtables! Much like the ways people breed dogs, food companies alter fruits and vegtable in order to appeal to consumers. I remember one time my grandfather had a lemon tree in the Phillipines and everytime he pulled one down to make some lemonade, id question the authenticity of the lemon because it looked nothing like the ones they bought at the supermarket! In reality, the food for years food distributors in a way breeded the lemons so that they would come out as these perfect almost spherical lemons, and not the almost elephant-man looking lemons my grandfather had.
Ususally for these blogs, i really like taking the opposite side, so im gonna go ahead and be all for artificial selection. Why can't we breed the perfect race horse for enetertainment? Would you watch a show with slightly paced horses racing each other? I think that people have a skewed idea on artificial selection. Many people argue that our technological and scientifical advancements will lead to humanity's demise simply because we're playing with nature too much. I personally think there isn't a "too much" i mean everyones blaming cars and various other devices that emit toxins; but come on seriously would you give up that 10 min drive to school for an hour's walk? People argue and argue "artificial selection is bad and is very very wrong" but I seriously doubt that they would eat a tomato or a banana that has'nt been artificially enhanced.WORKS CITED
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_selection
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Blue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhwgf2vmNfU