f herbicide and disease-resistant trees, what would happen to the insects and their predators? They could be forced to find new niches and compete in other ways with indigenous creatures in adjacent, foreign land.Because living organisms are highly complex, genetic engineers cannot possibly predict all of the effects of introducing new genes into them. This is the case for even the simplest bacterium, not to mention more complex plants and animals. This is because the introduced gene may act differently when working within its new host, the original genetic intelligence of the host will be disrupted, the new combination of the host genes and the introduced gene will have unpredictable effects and therefore there is no way of knowing the overall, long-term effect of genetically engineered foods on the health of those who eat them.Unnatural gene transfers from one species to another are dangerous. Biotechnology companies erroneously claim that their manipulations are similar to natural genetic changes or traditional breeding techniques. However, the cross-species transfers being made, such as between fish and tomatoes, or between other unrelated species, would not happen in nature and may create new toxins, diseases, and weaknesses.Biotechnology companies also claim their methods are precise and sophisticated. In fact, the process of inserting genes is quite random and can damage normal genes. Genetic research shows that many weaknesses in plants, animals, and humans have their origin in tiny imperfections in the genetic code. Therefore, the random damage resulting from gene insertion will inevitably result in side effects and accidents.When genetic engineers insert a new gene into any organism there are position effects which can lead to unpredictable changes in the pattern of gene expression and genetic function. The protein product of the inserted gene may carry out unexpected reactions and produce potentially toxic products. There is ...
