Genetically modified organism. Rarely have three words generated such passionate and polarized debate. GMO has become a cultural construct, a metaphor we use to argue about a set of ideas that don’t fit neatly into any clear category: consumer and worker health; corporate greed; biodiversity; the role of the Green Revolution; productive farming in the developing world; innovation vs. tradition; ethics. If one thing is clear, it’s that the emotional debates have overshadowed thoughtful discussion about the role biotechnology can play in achieving food security on a warming planet. Can it help more than it can harm? How fast and in what direction should agricultural innovation advance?