Genetically Modified/Engineered Foods

[Iuuvic]

I know this tends to be a hot-button issue for some reason, I see not problem with making certain crops more productive or resistant to disease.

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/188/g ... eered-food

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

If you don't know much about the issue you can read up at those links.

Of course food does is not limited to crop plants, and genetics can do some funky things:

http://www.good.is/post/genetically-mod ... uman-milk/

http://avaxnews.com/disgusting/Naked_Chicken.html

Is it wrong to genetically modify an animal to suit our needs? I don't think so, but I'm sure there will be some objections here.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/26 ... e-closer26

Also should the government really require foods to disclose that they are GE? Like fast growing salmon or soy-beans immune to the effects of certain pesticides? I don't think so.

Anyway, your thoughts on GE foods and animals.

[Conserative Morality]

"Oh no, we're doing what we've been doing for thousands of years, but IN LABS NOW! We actually KNOW how they're going to turn out! Obviously knowledge is bad and so forth."

Pretty much sums up my ideas on the anti-GM types, and thus gives you a good idea on how I feel on GMs.

[Takaram]

As long as they don't add anything radioactive or poisonous to it, all I see is food.

[Lordieth]

I'm not against genetic modification, I just worry about abnormalities and crossbreeding with non-GM crops. It's still an infant science.

[Iuuvic]

"Oh no, we're doing what we've been doing for thousands of years, but IN LABS NOW! We actually KNOW how they're going to turn out! Obviously knowledge is bad and so forth."

Pretty much sums up my ideas on the anti-GM types, and thus gives you a good idea on how I feel on GMs.

I agree but don't know that its fair to link modern genetics to selective breeding. What we do now in labs with genomes is more than leaps and bounds could describe.

I'd like to see someone selectively breed a cow to create 'human' milk.

[Takaram]

I'm not against genetic modification, I just worry about abnormalities and crossbreeding with non-GM crops. It's still an infant science.

Meh, what's the worst that could happen?
-Famous last words

[Takaram]

"Oh no, we're doing what we've been doing for thousands of years, but IN LABS NOW! We actually KNOW how they're going to turn out! Obviously knowledge is bad and so forth."

Pretty much sums up my ideas on the anti-GM types, and thus gives you a good idea on how I feel on GMs.

I agree but don't know that its fair to link modern genetics to selective breeding. What we do now in labs with genomes is more than leaps and bounds could describe.

That's all it is, just even more selective. Instead of having to cross-breed two organisms for generations to get a perfect food crop, we can do it in one generation by swapping a few genes around.

[Unchecked Expansion]

I'd eat GM food over Organic labelled junk any day. GM has a metric ton of regulation. Organic is pretty much just a brand name with no official regulation.
Organic is dumping a bacteria all over your fields because it produces a pesticide and only has a moderate chance of becoming a stomach bug. GM is just taking the pesticide out of the bacteria, expressing it in the plant and being certain not to be a stomach bug

[Lordieth]

I'm not against genetic modification, I just worry about abnormalities and crossbreeding with non-GM crops. It's still an infant science.

Meh, what's the worst that could happen?
-Famous last words

Imagine The Matrix. But with vegetables.

[Iuuvic]

I agree but don't know that its fair to link modern genetics to selective breeding. What we do now in labs with genomes is more than leaps and bounds could describe.

That's all it is, just even more selective. Instead of having to cross-breed two organisms for generations to get a perfect food crop, we can do it in one generation by swapping a few genes around.

Not quite, the two organisms need no compatibility when dealing with single genomes. Can now take genes from plants and animals of different species and mix them. Selective breeding is very limited to compatibility.

[Takaram]

Meh, what's the worst that could happen?
-Famous last words

Imagine The Matrix. But with vegetables.

I was thinking something more along the lines of "Little Shop of Horrors".

[Takaram]

That's all it is, just even more selective. Instead of having to cross-breed two organisms for generations to get a perfect food crop, we can do it in one generation by swapping a few genes around.

Not quite, the two organisms need no compatibility when dealing with single genomes. Can now take genes from plants and animals of different species and mix them. Selective breeding is very limited to compatibility.

I believe the word you're looking for in that instance is gene, not genome.

[Conserative Morality]

I'd eat GM food over Organic labelled junk any day. GM has a metric ton of regulation. Organic is pretty much just a brand name with no official regulation.
Organic is dumping a bacteria all over your fields because it produces a pesticide and only has a moderate chance of becoming a stomach bug. GM is just taking the pesticide out of the bacteria, expressing it in the plant and being certain not to be a stomach bug

But If It's Natural It's Good. Like Arsenic. Arsenic is natural, right?

[Takaram]

I'd eat GM food over Organic labelled junk any day. GM has a metric ton of regulation. Organic is pretty much just a brand name with no official regulation.
Organic is dumping a bacteria all over your fields because it produces a pesticide and only has a moderate chance of becoming a stomach bug. GM is just taking the pesticide out of the bacteria, expressing it in the plant and being certain not to be a stomach bug

But If It's Natural It's Good. Like Arsenic. Arsenic is natural, right?

So is lead... and smallpox.

[Unchecked Expansion]

Not quite, the two organisms need no compatibility when dealing with single genomes. Can now take genes from plants and animals of different species and mix them. Selective breeding is very limited to compatibility.

Gene modification doesn't just mean you can slap anything in there. You have to be able to express it, which means the cell needs to be able to produce it in the first place. If the conditions in the cell aren't right (pH, temperature, available amino acids etc) it won't happen

[Conserative Morality]

So is lead... and smallpox.

Exactly. Just let me wash myself with the pox-marked skin of the diseased, and I'll be right as rain.

[Unchecked Expansion]

But If It's Natural It's Good. Like Arsenic. Arsenic is natural, right?

Exactly.
I don't see what's so wrong with taking the good bits from organic, modify it to be more suitable and use it in a way that removes a lot of the drawbacks. You don't see people chewing willow bark for a headache after all

[Xarithis]

I'm all for it.

In fact, I'm so for it, that I believe that the far more efficient GM crops should eventually completely replace "organic" crops.

[Moral Libertarians]

GM is the way of the future. How else can we feed the world?
ACCEPT THE TRUTH!

[Avenio]

I have no real problems with genetically-modified foods in and of themselves, my only caveat with the subject comes from the legal issues associated with it; namely the patenting of genetic structures and the problems associated with improper use of the genetically-modified species.

[Takaram]

I'm all for it.

In fact, I'm so for it, that I believe that the far more efficient GM crops should eventually completely replace "organic" crops.

Agreed. If we can make plants which can produce their own natural pesticides and fungicides, I'd be all for it.

[Lordieth]

Imagine The Matrix. But with vegetables.

I was thinking something more along the lines of "Little Shop of Horrors".

'Feed me!'. Epic musical film (the 1986 re-make)

Day of the triffids is another example. Our super plants must walk before they can talk.

[Seperate Vermont]

If anything, the regulation on it must be less fear-mongering bullshit and more scientific reason.

[Takaram]

If anything, the regulation on it must be less fear-mongering bullshit and more scientific reason.

Like everything else?

[Trachae]

As long as they don't add anything radioactive or poisonous to it, all I see is food.

MMMM.... foood...