The first true laboratory-made GMOs were created in 1973 , when scientists Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen inserted DNA from one bacterium into another using recombinant DNA techniques. This experiment is widely treated as the “invention” of modern GMOs because it showed that genes could be cut and pasted between species in a controlled way.

Key milestones

  • 1973 – First GMO organism (bacteria)
    Boyer and Cohen engineered bacteria by inserting foreign DNA, creating the first genetically modified organism in a lab.
  • 1982 – First GMO product for people
    Genetically engineered bacteria producing human insulin were approved by the U.S. FDA, becoming the first commercial GMO product used in medicine.
  • 1990s – First GMO crops on the market
    Genetically modified crops (such as pest-resistant varieties) began to be sold commercially, marking the start of widespread GMO use in agriculture.

So, when someone asks “when were GMOs invented,” the most precise answer is 1973 , with major real-world products following in 1982 (medicine) and the 1990s (crops).