Slowly but surely, we’re surrendering the ways and means of food production to private interests. We’re entrusting the most fundamental aspect of our survival to institutions with no accountability to the public, and who in many cases have repeatedly violated the public trust. This isn’t just risky, it’s reckless.
Don’t Fight Against Engineering. Fight for the Continued Existence of the Miracle
https://shift.newco.co/the-scary-thing-about-gmo-that-nobodys-talking-about-e067410aaf1b#.3lwk9d7yi
Right! I don’t mind responsible genetic engineering. I mind patents on the products!
< ![CDATA[Right! I don't mind responsible genetic engineering. I mind patents on the products!]]>
Agreed. Food security is too important to leave GMO off the table, but FOOD SECURITY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO PROFIT-ORIENTED PRIVATE INTEREST.
< ![CDATA[Agreed. Food security is too important to leave GMO off the table, but FOOD SECURITY IS TOO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO PROFIT-ORIENTED PRIVATE INTEREST.]]>
GMOs don’t make me worried about eating them, they make me worried for evolutionary future.
< ![CDATA[GMOs don't make me worried about eating them, they make me worried for evolutionary future.]]>
Robert Bohl Worried that we are messing with nature?
< ![CDATA[Robert Bohl Worried that we are messing with nature?]]>
Basically. What’s going to happen to wheat in he future when it has fish DNA in it?
< ![CDATA[Basically. What's going to happen to wheat in he future when it has fish DNA in it?]]>
Robert Bohl No clue! But I also know that we have been messing with plants for a good chunk of human history, i.e., cultivating and hybridizing.
< ![CDATA[Robert Bohl No clue! But I also know that we have been messing with plants for a good chunk of human history, i.e., cultivating and hybridizing.]]>
If it continues to breed true, then it’s not fish DNA anymore, it’s wheat DNA.
Depending on the species, the amount of baseline mutation that’s possible without fundamentally changing what a thing “is” is enormous. Look how widely varied dogs, in fact all canids, are, and yet in theory you could still breed your miniature pinscher with a wolf and have a successful hybrid. The only difference is that it’s specific genes being spliced in, rather than being acquired naturally.
Heck, huge portions of our own genome are suspected to be viral DNA that moved into us at some primordial stage and just stayed, and we do OK.
< ![CDATA[If it continues to breed true, then it's not fish DNA anymore, it's wheat DNA. Depending on the species, the amount of baseline mutation that's possible without fundamentally changing what a thing "is" is enormous. Look how widely varied dogs, in fact all canids, are, and yet in theory you could still breed your miniature pinscher with a wolf and have a successful hybrid. The only difference is that it's specific genes being spliced in, rather than being acquired naturally. Heck, huge portions of our own genome are suspected to be viral DNA that moved into us at some primordial stage and just stayed, and we do OK.]]>
We’ve fucked with plants without inserting genes that could never get there in nature in the past. Now we don’t know what this will do long term.
< ![CDATA[We've fucked with plants without inserting genes that could never get there in nature in the past. Now we don't know what this will do long term.]]>
Robert Bohl I hear you. I guess, like the article, I have faith in science, but it’s the corporations I worry about.
< ![CDATA[Robert Bohl I hear you. I guess, like the article, I have faith in science, but it's the corporations I worry about.]]>
I understand that tons of plant DNA can be traced to insects that closely cohabited with the plants.
< ![CDATA[I understand that tons of plant DNA can be traced to insects that closely cohabited with the plants.]]>
I’m frankly not too worried. There have been numerous multi-generational animal studies on the effects of GMO diets, and it’s not like genes survive digestion. If it’s biologically wheat, and I eat it, then I break it down to its components. If it’s biologically fish, same deal. Now, if a gene expression that was GMO’d into wheat caused the wheat to start producing some sort of toxin after a few generations of mutation, well, OK, we breed around that. It’s bad in an acute sense, but not necessarily in a long-term sense.
And the reason I don’t think it’s that much of a risk, is that the same thing can happen to wild/non-GMO species. Given viral DNA transfer, and again, the enormous genetic variation that can exist between any two specimens of the same species, the amount of actual genetic transformation occurring in some of these GMO crops is miniscule. The difference between “Roundup Ready” flax and cultivated flax and wild flax is a few base pairs, and I suspect is largely drowned out by the genetic “noise” that is the difference between any two samples of the same species.
< ![CDATA[I'm frankly not too worried. There have been numerous multi-generational animal studies on the effects of GMO diets, and it's not like genes survive digestion. If it's biologically wheat, and I eat it, then I break it down to its components. If it's biologically fish, same deal. Now, if a gene expression that was GMO'd into wheat caused the wheat to start producing some sort of toxin after a few generations of mutation, well, OK, we breed around that. It's bad in an acute sense, but not necessarily in a long-term sense. And the reason I don't think it's that much of a risk, is that the same thing can happen to wild/non-GMO species. Given viral DNA transfer, and again, the enormous genetic variation that can exist between any two specimens of the same species, the amount of actual genetic transformation occurring in some of these GMO crops is miniscule. The difference between "Roundup Ready" flax and cultivated flax and wild flax is a few base pairs, and I suspect is largely drowned out by the genetic "noise" that is the difference between any two samples of the same species.]]>
Like I said, it’s not about food safety for me. I believe the science indicating it’s safe.
< ![CDATA[Like I said, it's not about food safety for me. I believe the science indicating it's safe.]]>