b'GIANT VIEWSALMOST EVERYTHING YOU EAT HAS BEEN MODIFIED BY HUMANSCenturies later, Gregor Mendel wouldhumanity has always done, guided now by cross pea plants and describe the laws ofknowledge rather than chance.inheritance, proving scientifically what farmers had practiced for millennia: traitsSAFER THAN YOU MIGHT THINKcan be selected, passed on, and combined. Critics often say modern genetic engi-neering is risky because its new. But old FROM SLOW SELECTION TOdoesnt always mean safer. Traditional FAST PRECISION breeding has always involved major genetic For thousands of years, improving cropsreshufflingwithout any control over meant waitingfor the next season, thewhat side effects might appear.next generation, or the next lucky mutation.Modern biotechnology, by contrast, It worked, but it was slow and unpredictable. allows scientists to make one precise Modern biotechnology builds on thechange and study it thoroughly before it same principle but accelerates it. Insteadever reaches the field or the market. Every By: Simon Maechling of taking centuries to develop new traits,genetically modified crop undergoes years scientists can now guide the process in justof safety testingfar more scrutiny than a few yearswith far greater precision. conventional varieties ever receive.W eve only recently discovered howTraditional breeding shuffles entireMore than 4,400 risk assessments have to do it a little faster. genomes. Thousands of genes mix ran- been conducted on GM crops in over 70 When you walk into a gro- domly, and you never quite know whichcountries, and every single one reached the cery store, its easy to think that the fruits,traits youll get. You might grow a biggersame conclusion: they are just as safe for vegetables, and grains on display are naturalfruit, but also one thats more vulnerable topeople and the environment as traditionally gifts of the Earth. But almost nothing youdisease. Its a genetic lottery. bred plants.see there exists in the wild. Every crop hasBiotechnology lets us skip the guess- So while genetic engineering may been shaped by human hands over thou- work. By identifying the genes responsiblesound modern and unfamiliar, its actually sands of years. for specific traits, scientists can make small,more controlled, more transparent, and Our ancestors didnt have laboratoriesdeliberate adjustmentsturning certainbetter tested than any breeding method in or gene-editing tools, but they were mas- genes on or off or adding a new one thathistory.ters of selective breedingchoosing plantshelps a plant resist drought or pests.with the best traits and letting those traitsWhere farmers once worked withTHE FOOD OF TODAYAND flourish. By patiently saving seeds from thetrial and error, todays scientists can workTOMORROWtastiest, hardiest, or biggest plants, theywith data and precision. Its the same artWhen you sit down for a meal, youre not built the foundations of modern agriculture. of improvementonly faster, cleaner, andeating pure nature. Youre tasting the result more reliable. of thousands of years of curiosity, patience, EARLY FARMERS: THE FIRSTand innovationfrom the farmers who GENETIC ENGINEERS GENE EDITING: THE NEXTchose the best seeds to the scientists refin-Take the carrot. Its wild ancestor was small,FRONTIER ing that process today.purple, and bitter. Generations of farmersGene editing takes that precision even fur- Every apple, ear of corn, and loaf of selected roots that were larger, sweeter, andther. Tools like CRISPR work like molecularbread is a story of human creativity written brighter until they became the orange car- scissors, allowing scientists to make minute,into the DNA of plants.rots we know today. targeted changes to a plants own DNA. Modern biotechnology is simply the Or corn. Thousands of years ago, inUnlike older GMOs, which sometimesnext chaptera way to keep improving our what is now Mexico, farmers found a wildadded genes from another species, genecrops with precision and purpose, ensuring grass called teosinte with tiny, hard kernels.editing often makes subtle tweaks withinfood remains abundant, safe, and sustaina-They kept planting seeds from plants withthe same genomethe kind that could justble for generations to come.slightly bigger, softer grainsand centuryas easily occur in nature, only much slower. Next time you walk through a grocery by century, transformed it into modernIts selective breeding at hyperspeed:store, remember: nature may have started maize. same principles, new instruments. the story, but humans are the reason it con-From a wild weed came one of theThanks to this approach, crops can betinues.worlds most productive crops. Withoutmade to withstand drought, resist disease, realizing it, those early farmers were rewrit- or need fewer pesticides. Its not scienceEditors Note: Dr. Simon Maechling is ing genomesone harvest at a time. fictionits the continuation of whatInnovation Manager at Bayer Crop Science.40ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | NOVEMBER 2025'