Genetically Modified Foods: Overview: Genetic Engineering

Early agriculturalists learned that their crops and animals made copies of themselves. A tall variety of grain usually produced tall plants, and sheep with a particular coat color or length usually produced more of the same. Oddities occurred and sometimes were exploited, such as Jacob’s spotted sheep (Gen. 30:32–43). New varieties thus were produced by selective breeding. Parent plants or animals were chosen for desired characteristics and were bred. Offspring with those characteristics were bred again until the trait “bred true” generation after generation with few surprises.