5 GMO Products You Didn’t Realize are GMO’s

1. Lithium Ion Batteries

Yep. The world’s most efficient batteries on the market were developed from a genetically modified virus.

Photo: Flickr/cliff1066

2. Papaya

In the 1990′s, a virus called the Ringspot virus plagued papayas. Now, over 70 percent of papayas sold in stores are the genetically modified Rainbow Papaya fruit that is resistant to the virus.

Photo: Flickr/geishabot

3. Insulin

Synthetic insulin, which is used in the common treatment for diabetics, was the first GMO that the FDA passed in 1982. The synthetic insulin is a biosynthetic protein that is created by combining DNA from the E-Coli bacteria with human insulin. In 1978, Herbert Boyer spliced and diced a few genes in the University of California to develop the drug that is now used to treat more than 1.7 million Americans.

Photo: Flickr/ladytaz

4. Canola Oil

Over 90 percent of the Canola Oil sold in the US is genetically modified.

Photo: Flickr/Dad_and_Clint

5. Life-Saving Silk

Scientists have crossed silkworms and spiders to develop a new type of highly-durable silk that is intended to be used for everything from a bullet-proof vest to artificial tendons.

Photo: Flickr/ramnath1971