Common Misconceptions

Misconception: "GM food has been scientifically proven to be dangerous to eat."

Reality: There is currently no scientific evidence that approved GM foods are harmful to human health. Major scientific organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Academies of Sciences, and the European Commission have reviewed evidence and concluded that currently approved GM foods are safe. Concerns about GM food are often ethical or environmental rather than based on demonstrated health risks. The AQA specification asks students to consider both sides of the debate, not to claim GM food is proven dangerous.

Misconception: "Genetic engineering creates entirely new species."

Reality: Inserting one or a few genes into an organism's genome does not create a new species. A GM bacterium producing insulin is still a bacterium of the same species — it simply has one extra gene. A new species arises through reproductive isolation and accumulated genetic divergence over many generations, not through the insertion of individual genes.

Misconception: "Restriction enzymes cut DNA randomly."

Reality: Restriction enzymes are highly specific — each one recognises and cuts at a particular short DNA sequence (called a restriction site), typically 4–8 base pairs long. This specificity is what makes them useful as molecular tools. If they cut randomly, they would destroy the gene being extracted.