Viewpoint: Yes, genetically modified foods and crops, which result from techniques that may have profound, unanticipated, and dangerous consequences, are dangerous to human health and the environment.

Viewpoint: No, genetically modified foods are not dangerous; they are essential for the world's future.

In the 1970s, scientists learned how to cut and splice DNA to form recombinant DNA molecules and began developing techniques that made it possible to isolate, clone, and transfer genes from one organism to another. Scientists hoped that the new techniques of molecular biology, often referred to as genetic engineering, would be used to treat genetic diseases. But it was soon clear that genetic engineering could also be used to manipulate the genetic materials of plants, animals, and microorganisms for...