"Beginning three decades ago scientists learned how to sequence DNA and transfer it from one kind of organism to another. Since that time, claims about the power of the gene to determine and transform the properties of living forms have been unremitting in academic and popular venues. When proposals were first made to improve foods and other crop plants by introducing exogenous genes (experimental transgenesis, a type of genetic engineering), unsurprisingly, questions were raised about the capability of the methods to also induce harmful effects. Scenarios included the impairment of the quality and safety of fruits and vegetables, making them allergenic or toxic to humans and nonhumans who consume them, and the creation of superweeds, which could disrupt wild or farmed ecosystems. …"

Support: Digital