But the positives and negatives found within the scientific results aren’t the only positives and negatives that we weigh with GM crops. Yes, genetic transfer between species is possible through natural processes (I’m mentioning that again because I think it’s pretty freaking cool), but GM crops represent a larger scale change to plant genetics than was likely without human intervention. We’re actively toying with nature in ways that some would argue are greater than the ways we’ve toyed with nature for centuries by selectively breeding everything from peas to horses. That said, just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s good or good for us. Dusting off a familiar chestnut, nature produces some remarkable substances like cyanide and ricin, some of the most potent poisons, and the poppy, which gives us opium. Dusting off another familiar chestnut, nature gives us wheat, but genetic manipulation of wheat gives us dwarf wheat, credited with saving one billion lives, mostly across India, and earning Norman Borlaug a Nobel Peace Prize.