Wild Broccoli? It Doesn't Exist!

We humans, being the clever creatures we are, like to change our environment in order to influence what it produces. Farming is a classic example of this: we encourage the land to grow what we want it to grow, so that we can eat what we want to eat.

Another great example of this is not just working with what the Earth gives us, but actually inventing new foods, or changing the "natural," original product. This can be both good and bad -  breeding animals for food, for example, causes a great deal of controversy. Consider mass-produced chickens that are bred with huge upper bodies (for the meat), but have legs that can't support their weight.

Less controversial is breeding plants. By selecting some traits that we like about a given plant, and then selectively breeding it with plants with similar traits, it's possible to create a whole new plant. Take a minute and think - have you ever seen truly wild broccoli? How about cauliflower? Brussels sprouts? I bet you haven't, and my odds are great! Those vegetables don't actually exist in the wild! They were all bred from kale, a form of cabbage. By selecting different traits about the kale plant, we have been able to create entire new vegetables. See this short article on Indianapolis Public Media's "A Moment of Science" program for a more detailed explanation.

Have you heard of "GMOs," genetically modified organisms? (The link leads you to an article on GM plants.) A famous example is the tomato fish - a tomato whose DNA has been cross-bred with coldwater fish so as to make it more cold-resistant. Read the next blog post to learn more about the controversy!