'OMG GMO' will look at the science behind genetically modified food

The Yale Science Diplomats will explore the science behind the controversy over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the group’s next installment in its Science in the News series on Tuesday, April 29 at the New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm St.

Titled “OMG GMO: Food for Thought,” the lecture will take place 6:30-7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

“GMOs have emerged as a highly polarizing topic with strong arguments being made on both sides of the debate,” note the student organizers. During their presentation, they say, “[W]e will try to cut through the misleading claims and politics surrounding this issue and provide the audience with what unbiased science has to say.”

They will explore such questions as: What are GMOs and how are they made? What are the risks and benefits associated with GMOs? And: Should these crops be labeled in supermarkets?

Yale Science Diplomats is a group of graduate students aims to deconstruct complex scientific topics and explain them in a way that is easy to understand; make science fun and accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds; and provide people with a better understanding of the science underpinning many of the complex issues in the news every day.