So what is genetic engineering?

'Engineering' is a fancy word for making something. So genetic engineering (often just called GE) is making something with genes. Clever scientists have learned to spot which gene does what in building a new organism. At least they think they have. They've found out that simple organisms like bacteria or viruses often have genes which are useful because they can be snipped out and put - spliced - into plant genes. Doing this could give the plant special new abilities like resisting disease. This is rather like grabbing a large scorpion so it can't nip you with its claws. You know it's safe to handle since its claws can't reach you but - ow! - it's got a sting in its tail you didn't know about. There may be a 'sting in the tail' which comes from splicing strange genes into other organisms - from viruses to plants, for example. No-one can be certain what will happen. It is unpredictable.


Genes can do unexpected and unintended things and nobody can ever be quite sure what.

What can genetic engineering do?
By making new types of GE organism (mostly plants) - called transgenic organisms because they contain genes pinched from something else like bacteria, viruses, other plants or even animals - scientists can get the plant to grow bigger or faster or make more for people to eat. Some plants could be made to grow in salty water or very little water - good for very dry countries. Others could be programmed to resist disease. Some could even make stuff called vaccines which could protect kids against nasty illnesses like polio or measles. Sounds great, doesn't it?

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