Make Your Own Game for Free!
So suckiness of my video game aside, this is an issue that I've thought a lot about. I've even brought it up in a previous blog post for this class. The issue, of course is genetic modification. We are probably now all aware of the dangers of genetically modified food. It is an issue that has been well addressed, and has now come to the point where there are organic alternatives to choose from to avoid the potential side-effects of genetically modified food.
But there is one side of it that isn't spoken of as much. And that is how genetically modified organisms are already affecting the environment. Whether or not there is a link between cancer and these GMOs is something we probably won't know for sure without further studies and time. But we already know that the rampant use of genetic modification is hurting the environment in ways that we can't go back from.
The example that I always think of is a type of seaweed that a website I found calls, "the mutant killer seaweed of doom." The french simply call it the "killer seaweed." There are websites devoted to the superweeds and other invasive species found in the world. Granted, some of these invasive species are simply a product of something being introduced to an environment that isn't its natural habitat. But there are still plenty of examples of something we created destroying other native, natural species.
This is where Caulerpa Taxifolia comes in. This strain of seaweed was a genetically modified form of a natural seaweed simply called Caulerpa. The new invention of genetic modification was known for its large green fern like fronds, a toxin it releases that prevents fish from eating it, and it growing an average of three inches per day. The purpose was to be put in aquariums in Stuttgart, Germany. They had been having problems with fish eating the seaweed they put in the tanks, making them look ugly for when tourists came through. This new invention was exactly what the aquarium needed, and was immediately used in all of the tanks. It seemed perfect. Fish didn't eat it, it was bright green, and beautiful.
According to the official website for this invasive seaweed, "The aquarium strain of C. taxifolia was first found in the Mediterranean Sea off Monaco, adjacent to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, around 1984." Scientists believe that it only took a piece the size of a fingernail getting flushed into the Mediterranean (likely from routine cleaning of tanks), to start causing problems. The website further says, "Since then, C. taxifolia has spread along the Mediterranean coast and dramatically altered and displaced native plant and animal communities. Early eradication was not attempted in the Mediterranean, and the infestation is now considered beyond control. As of 2001, it was estimated that C. taxifolia had infested over 30,000 acres of seafloor in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Tunisia."
This is a huge problem. Now granted this information is over ten years old, but with more research, I've found that it continues to be a problem, and has now spread all over the world.
In my really dumb video game, the green monsters are the seaweed, because I couldn't figure out how to make the plants in the game the bad guys. Oh well. I also chose one of the more difficult bad guys to fight because trying to get rid of this fast growing seaweed is beyond most scientists. The modern solution being a tiny snail they found will actually eat the plant.
I'll admit I struggled making the video game, I tried multiple video game makers, and once I settled on this website, tried all of its methods, trying to find some way of capturing this issue in a way that is meaningful (and really just makes sense). Maybe with a little programming experience I might have prevailed.
But in the end, I wanted to get across the fact that this is just one instance of an invasive species destroying in its path. What about the superweeds across the mid-west that are causing farmers to have to use methods that cause erosion and spread harmful fertilizers and chemicals into our water systems and affect the growth of our crops? What about Kudzu, a vine native to Asia that is slowly choking the southern states?
These are issues that are already considered "beyond control." What else will we decide is beyond control before we give up and allow our own actions to destroy species, hurt economies, cause health problems, and destroy the environment?
Updated Map showing areas where Caulerpa Taxifolia have been found:
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Caulerpa+taxifolia
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Caulerpa+taxifolia
Original Article I found talking about the Seaweed:
Several other websites I used for this article:
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