Genetic modification and the environment
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GM terms
DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid
All living cells contain DNA - the organism's blueprint. The DNA molecule carries instructions for making all the structures and materials an organism needs to function, including the information required to instruct which genes are switched on, when, and to what extent.
Genes
Genes are segments of DNA that regulate biological activity. Genes contain the instructions for producing proteins, which make up the structure of cells and direct their activities.
GMO - genetically modified organism
A GMO is an organism that has had its DNA altered for a particular purpose. The GMO could be a virus, bacterium, plant or animal. Usually, a small section of DNA from one organism is introduced into the DNA of another with which it would not normally interbreed.
Indoor (contained) GMOs
GMOs are already used in the UK to produce medicines such as antibiotics, painkillers, vaccines, insulin and growth hormones, and some foods that ...
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