Some people cringe at the words “genetically modified organism”, but genetic modification is an important method people have used for the past 10,000-30,000 years while they domesticated both crops and animals. When plants and animals are selectively mated, the genes from both parents are mixed and many inherited traits are changed, which can be readily observed in the wide varieties of certain species, such as dog breeds. Without much knowledge about genetics, plants and animals were purposefully changed when people observed differences in plants and animals, and then mated what appeared to be the “best” ones to create and/or preserve beneficial traits and characteristics.