Phish Food For Thought

Intro

The connection between DNA, RNA, and Protein is not a foreign one, yet many people do not understand how organisms with completely different shapes and sizes, can be extremely similar in their DNA and Protein. In addition, a signaificant percent of people believe that the complexity of an organism relies on how large the total genome is of that organism.  They are simply wrong.  For example, a rat and a human are almost 99% similar in their DNA, yet they obviosly look nothing alike.  The realization by scietists that there is a large and diverse field of proteins, has started the study coined Proteomics.   Proteomics is often considered the next step after genomics, as they sound similar.  Proteomics mostly focuses on protein structure and function, and it is also, more complex than genomics.  An organization called Human Proteome Organization (HUPO), is an organization trying to catalog all human proteins and ascertain their functions and interactions.

In the end, we found that all of the food that we brought in (carrots) were in fact Genetically Modified.  This lab was definitely worthwhile because it really opened my eyes to how many foods are actually genetically manufactured.  Although the food may not taste any different, I now know that it is there.