Despite the stigma surrounding GMOs, the general population is generally ignorant about the science and history behind GMOs. This however is not without merit, for how many times have we heard stories of failures associated with human intervention in nature? But regardless of the contemporary discovery of genetics and the modification of biological functions at the molecular level; GMOs are ancient. Human genetic manipulation of food began with the domestic cultivation of crops and animals around 10,000 BC. Selective breeding was instrumental in the best profitable outcome during harvesting. The selective choice of desirable traits in an entity was a direct precursor to the modern concept of GMO. With the discovery of DNA in 1956 and the ability to manually edit genetics during the 1970s, it became possible to manipulate the genes and DNA of all foods. The first genetically modified food available for human consumption was the “Flavr Savr” tomato, into which an anti-aging gene was inserted to increase its shelf life. It was a major turning point in science and has since sparked heated debate about whether humans should directly influence nature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Our ancestors, despite their limited scientific knowledge, had their own process of choosing and growing crops called “artificial selection.” This term was first conceived by Charles Darwin, an evolutionary biologist. He described the process as one in which people would choose the healthiest strain with the largest yield to plant, discarding the less desirable strain. The earliest evidence of artificial selection of a plant dates back to 7800 BC, where archaeological evidence suggests that South Asian peoples used a selection process for different types of grain. Selection was not only used for plants but also for animals, the dog was the first of its species to be mutated to obtain a desirable result. Around 32,000 years ago, when humans were still hunters and gatherers, animals were a key aspect of hunting, as they could detect scents and attack other game for humans to eat. Research suggests that dogs domesticated at the time turned out to be closely related to what are currently known as native Chinese dogs. The best result that historians agree we got from artificial selection was corn, also known as maize in some parts of the world. When corn was first harvested, its kernels were small and few, but with the selective process the kernels gradually became larger and more abundant. Similar results occurred with foods such as papaya and broccoli. Now, no one has had any problems with these methods over the centuries, what is the difference between the primitive ways of modifying foods back then and the modern ways we use today? Well, instead of simply selecting which plants and animals will be procreated, scientists are digging deep at the molecular level to influence what happens. In 1973, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen, invented genetic engineering (GE), were the first to add foreign DNA into another organism. This method is applied in the laboratory where plants that possess the desired gene, have that gene physically moved or added to a new plant to increase the trait in that plant. The plants created with this technology are.