The focus on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has lately been intense. While GMO has given the world new medications and new foods, the science has also created a backlash to companies like the agricultural/chemical giant Monsanto, which controls and develops proprietary rights to GMO plant seeds.

Consumer as well as governmental fear that a GMO product may be inferior or even harmful, or that it may do damage to non-GMO plants growing in a field nearby has given us GMO bans as well as updated food labeling regulations.But scientific plant modification is hardly a new phenomenon. For instance,wine grape modification in one form or another is a centuries-old practice, and after multiple crossings and hybridizing over the centuries, few grapevines today are true to their origin.

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Genetically modified organisms have been around for over 20 years; The New York Times looks to the fields to see if the technology has lived up to its promises.

The controversy over genetically modified crops has long focused on largely unsubstantiated fears that they are unsafe to eat.

But an extensive examination by The New York Times indicates that the debate has missed a more basic problem — genetic modification in the United States and Canada has not accelerated increases in crop yields or led to an overall reduction in the use of chemical pesticides.

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Genetically modified organisms are a technology used by many companies, but often it becomes synonymous with one company.

GMO. It’s a term shrouded in mystery. A scapegoat for real and perceived agricultural and food system ills, the acronym conjures visions of monoculture, pesticides, chemicals, junk food, obesity, and the transformation of life forms into intellectual property. Perhaps the most common menace summoned when “GMO” is uttered: Monsanto. Mentions of genetic engineering (GE) technology, seemingly without fail, result in “but Monsanto” protests, along with amalgamated concerns about food.

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