Why GM Corn is More Environmentally Friendly than You Think

The panic about GM corn is actually completely unfounded. A study now shows the benefits of corn.

Fear of GM maize is unfounded

More and more GM maize is being cultivated all over the world – just not in Europe. EU citizens fear that maize could be bad for the environment and their own health .

However, there is no scientific basis for this. A study started the rumor that GM corn can cause cancer. However, the study was not scientifically tenable, which is why it was withdrawn.

On the contrary, corn even has some pretty practical properties: it is, for example, resistant to many predators and has a higher yield than normal corn – scientists recently came to this conclusion in a meta-study.

In the study, researchers evaluated 6,000 GM maize studies. The result: Genetically modified maize actually yields up to a quarter more than conventional plants. In addition, the farmers use fewer insecticides. Because the corn is less frequently attacked by pests, the infestation of fungi is also reduced – and the risk of the corn being contaminated with fungal toxins is reduced.

Fewer toxins, crop failures and pesticides are not only beneficial for the environment, but also for human health. The Union of German Academies of Science also came to this conclusion

What actually is GM corn?

By the way, one speaks of GM maize when the genetic material of the plant has been specifically modified. This can happen in a number of ways, such as inserting the gene from one plant into the genome of another plant of the same species. However, genes from other organisms can also be inserted, giving the plant functions that it did not have before and possibly would not have had either.

Basically, changing genes is nothing more than breeding. It doesn’t really differ much whether researchers cross plants over years or decades until they finally have exactly the plant they want, or whether they do it using genetic methods. But: Molecular genetic methods work much more specifically. In the case of random mutations and crossings, there are usually more unwanted mutations, i.e. changes in the genetic material that were not intended at all.