On this Moment of Science, we talk about the complications of
genetically modified plants and weeds. We’ve all had weed
problems in our landscapes. But just imagine your weeds with an
extra gene that makes them toxic to insects and thereby
increases their reproductive capacity. Research is being done on
genetically modified plants and the plants they crossbreed so
that things like this don’t happen. In particular, scientists
have studied genetically engineered sunflowers and unmodified
wild sunflowers to see what happens when they crossbreed and
thus exchange genes. The genetically engineered sunflowers were
altered by a gene with the intention to make them toxic to
certain insect predators. When the two groups of sunflowers
crossbred, the resulting hybrid flowers were successful in
repelling insects, and thus, they produced fifty percent more
seeds. And this new gene didn’t affect their hardiness either.
The plants were still able to do well in harsh conditions with
little water or nutrients. My point is tha