GMO. More recently, this abbreviation and what it means was known only to employees of special scientific laboratories. Now, without exaggeration, we can say that almost everyone knows about GMOs. And most of this knowledge has a negative connotation. What is GMO? This is a genetically modified organism – a living organism whose genotype has been artificially changed using genetic engineering. As a rule, these changes are made for scientific or economic purposes. Who uses genetically modified organisms and where? What companies use them? As a rule, we believe that GMOs are something not entirely good, perhaps harmful, but certainly not useful, and it is found in products that we can find in stores. Oh sure. But not only. Let’s see where genetically modified organisms are used and applied. In science. GMOs are actively used in applied and documentary research. In various research laboratories, they are used to investigate the causes of the development of many difficult-to-treat diseases (cancer, Alzheimer’s disease), skin regeneration processes in burns, and the functioning of the nervous system. As well as many other pressing and important problems of medicine and biology. In medicine. GMOs were first used in 1982. With their help, human insulin was created! The drug is so necessary in the treatment of diabetes. Currently, research is underway aimed at creating genetically modified plants that produce components of vaccines and drugs against very dangerous infections, such as plague, HIV and a number of others, no less insidious. Experiments were completed, after which a drug against thrombosis was approved, which is produced on the basis of a protein isolated from goat milk subjected to a transgenic mutation. That is, GMOs have long been used to create drugs, and pharmaceutical companies have long adopted this technology. And besides, now in medicine such a new direction as gene therapy is developing very actively. A number of previously difficult-to-treat diseases have been successfully treated with gene therapy for more than 15 years. In agriculture, genetic engineering has long been used to develop new varieties and types of vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, etc., which are most resistant to environmental conditions, various pests, and also have a better taste, a wider range of vitamins and amino acids, and faster maturation. And new breeds of animals differ from the usual ones in accelerated weight gain and productivity. Research is being carried out on genetically modified varieties of forest species with an increased content of cellulose in wood and rapid growth. In many countries, the production and use of GMO products is under state regulation. Including in Russia. We have approved some types of transgenic products for use. Namely, some types of potatoes, soybeans, corn, rice, sugar beets. In addition to the above areas of application, GMO technology is used in the creation and research of special bacteria that are capable of producing environmentally friendly fuel. Botanists brought out, and flower sellers now surprise women with blue roses. Aquarium fish lovers have received a new kind of small, luminous fish from biologists. There are more and more genetically modified products, the scope of their application is expanding. And today there is no unequivocal answer whether they carry the destructive harm that is so often spoken about in the media or not. There are still too few statistics to draw conclusions. Confirm or refute this statement. But what I want to note in conclusion. All major world religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, support the creation of GM crops. According to the highest religious hierarchs, GMOs can be a solution to the problem of poverty and world hunger.