GM Foods

Are modern Genetically Modified foods bad?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 26.1%

  • No

    Votes: 6 26.1%

  • Depends…

    Votes: 11 47.8%

  • Don't care

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    23
i read in new scientist about terminator and exorcist which eliminate any adverse effects (allergies, pollen drift)
 
A Embryonic Lethal Operon is also a proposed means for preventing GM plants from reproducing in the wild or crossbreeding. The seeds would need to be bathed in a trigger chemical (anything can be design as the trigger chemical… lets say dextrose) to deactivate the operon, the operon would be self deactivating (its actually two operon) and would not be open to reactivation tell meiosis again. If the operon is not deactivated it will produce a lethal substance (eer, lethal to the seed only) that would kill the seed. The operon can be inserted into any GM plant breed in multiple copies on many chromosomes so as to guaranty that any hybrid plant progeny would also carry the operon and die promptly.

Hey do you remember that cat they engineered to be non-allergic (aah, to its pet owners)? They are doing the same thing the peanuts.
 
I find it funny how the anti-GM people will be so vocal, yet at the same time, will unknowingly purchase strawberries in the winter. It's mainly because they're undereducated on the topic. Sad - but true. :rolleyes:
 
Biotechnologists have created genetically modified plants that can grow plastic. They managed this by inserting 4 genes from a plastic-producing bacteria into varieties of oilseed rape (Eurasian plant) and cress. Conventional plastics are made from oil and do not degrade easily, but the plant plastic is biodegradable. But it is expensive. Petroleum-derived plastic cost about $1 per kg (2,2 lb) but plant plastic would cost $5 per kg (2,2 lb).

Money doesn't grow on trees but one day, perhaps, credit cards will!
 
Originally posted by Elbaz
I find it funny how the anti-GM people will be so vocal, yet at the same time, will unknowingly purchase strawberries in the winter. It's mainly because they're undereducated on the topic. Sad - but true. :rolleyes:
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This is muddled. It's perfectly possible to be anti-GM and eat strawberries in the winter and not be under-educated. IMO supporters of GM have been over-indocrinated into thinking it's a complex issue which requires high levels of specialist knowledge to understand) This is nonsense. Common sense shows that GM is a very dangerous technology without any sensible use or purpose (other than money-making of course, or jobs for biologists).

GM strawberries are not necessarily unsafe to eat. It is the long term dangers of tinkering with genes that is potentially suicidal. One does not need a doctorate in anything in particular to see the obvious.

If there were a pressing purpose for GM then perhaps it would be worth doing. As there is not one it is IMO madness. Soon we will have thousands of unregulated labs all over the world playing with nature's building blocks and unleashing them on our ecosystem. Hell, they're even modifying marijuana. Is nothing sacred.
 
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Yes, it is like playing with the wires of a bomb not knowing the complete mechanism!
 
I specifically said “modern” genetic engineering in my poll so that one would not get confused with the falsely believe benign practices of hybriding and selective breeding that we have been doing for thousands of years; as a result I can not use my main argument against all anti-GMs.

So we will need to get into more detail here: what are the specific fears that you have about GM foods?
 
My main concern is just crop multiplication. If you can make sure that a specific GM crop only grows in specific fields which someone keeps track of, and the plants are unable to reproduce on their own (or polonate other plants) then I don't see any major problems.

The only other thing I see, is possibly creating a bread which has some fatal flaw. The US has one bad winter and we have no wheat because all the crops died. I'm not sure how big of a problem this might be, as normal crops can have the same problems.
 
read above about a lethal operon... the problem is though it is a proven technique no one is doing it yet.

Also considering the varity of wheat (or any farm plant we grow here) I seriously don't think a crop failure problem like that will happen. The Irish potato famine never happened here because of potatoes varity. Genetic engineering is not going to kill variety only increase it.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
read above about a lethal operon... the problem is though it is a proven technique no one is doing it yet.
But is there any serious chance of this 'failing'?

Genetic engineering is not going to kill variety only increase it.
I would have thought the opposite. I was imagining them trying to put all of the positive properties in one potato. Since this type of potato is capable to resist just about everything, that's what most will plant. The option you are talking about seems to be more along the lines of having making different modifications to potatos, and not creating an 'uber-breed'.
 
This is muddled. It's perfectly possible to be anti-GM and eat strawberries in the winter and not be under-educated. IMO supporters of GM have been over-indocrinated into thinking it's a complex issue which requires high levels of specialist knowledge to understand) This is nonsense. Common sense shows that GM is a very dangerous technology without any sensible use or purpose (other than money-making of course, or jobs for biologists).
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So far crop or livestock manipulation is confined to really basic changes. Just like the ones you see in strawberries. And any properly trained scientist will be as objective as possible when messing around with the very stuff of life.

That said, there are bad scientists out there who don't really care about the consequences. But that shouldn't hold progression off. We all play with bombs everyday - everywhere. Does that mean we should live our lives without danger? Nope, not IMO. As long as we're sensible, there shouldn't be any major problems, and if there are, it'll be natures fault - because let's face it, we aren't in control of our surroundings yet.

Embrace change with all four arms!! (not mine ;) )
 
But is there any serious chance of this 'failing'?
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No the chance of that happening with multiple copies on many different chromosomes is about the same as you have a child with a monkey!

I would have thought the opposite. I was imagining them trying to put all of the positive properties in one potato. Since this type of potato is capable to resist just about everything, that's what most will plant. The option you are talking about seems to be more along the lines of having making different modifications to potatos, and not creating an 'uber-breed'.
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You can't make a super-breed... breeds are best made for there environment: soil type, parasite and infestations types... ect. All breeds are specialized and limited.
 
There probably is no point in arguing this. The scientifically minded will, while admitting the dangers (the need for operons for instance) always regard new technologies like GM as 'progress', as if it was ever any trouble to grow an apple. The non-scientist will think it's madness based on the common sense fact that it's unnecessary and might go wrong. Discussing the facts seems rather pointless.

As it will make lots of money it will be done. Science and business will make the decisions for corporate reasons. The rest of us are pissing in the wind.
 
Why do you believe it is unnecessary? Progress it only progress if something is learn from it and mankind can benefit.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
Why do you believe it is unnecessary? Progress it only progress if something is learn from it and mankind can benefit.
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I would just ask what it's for. The only benefit seems to be to allow us to create even greater urban ant heaps of mouths to feed.
 
I don't understand Canute? :confused: Genetic engineered foods seems have many benefits in improving efficiency of crop production and benefiting the environment.
 
Yeah, Canute, do you realize it's actually safer for us in many respects to use GM?

Things like pesticides cause huge dangers to the ecosystem. Don't tell me you're not aware of that. If we could insert a single gene into the mix that would null the need for a pesticide, then what's the problem? There are dangers, but what about the dangers that exist in not utilizing new technology? I think you're beginning to forget those.

People fantacized in the 60's about the greatness that GM could bring, and all of a sudden there are people who just want to throw it out the window. I don't get it?
 
Originally posted by Canute
Common sense shows that GM is a very dangerous technology without any sensible use or purpose (other than money-making of course, or jobs for biologists).
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well this is just wrong. common sense, which would require opening your eyes and making decisions based on what you see and good judgement, would say exactly the opposite. the uses and benefits of gm are endless. you tell those children in third world counties who still have their eyesight because of engineered rice that it has no purpose. or those in africa who have been able to plant crops in otherwise unfertile conditions. exactly how is it very dangerous? sure, i agree that foods should be labeled, eliminating the risk of possible allergic reactions.......but very dangerous? no. ok ok you've got my on the creating jobs part. i have been studying molecular genetics and eventually want to get involved in 'responsibility in engineering', taking the environment into account. well aren't ashamed that i might get a job out of it. :eek:
 
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