Thanks, Neil deGrasse Tyson, for saying something dumb and totally misinformed about GMO agriculture. Scientifically improving crops using Mendelian selective breeding is not the same thing as genetic modification. GMO technologies use cell fusion, microencapsulation and macroencapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology). These methods cant be achieved through natural, selective breeding. Everything you eat is NOT produced using methods defined as GMO tech in the common parlance. That being said, I am not sure why folks are so obsessed with GMO labeling. Its very simple; if its made from corn, soy, cotton, rice, papaya, sugar beets, or canola, and its not labeled certified organic then its got GMOs in it. There are certainly positive uses for GM technology, like increasing disease resistance and yields in crops, but it must be admitted that the primary reason for genetic modification at present is to increase the use of herbicides without killing the crop itself. I think its self-evident that the increased use of chemicals in agriculture is not good for anyone. THAT is what people should be against. GM technology itself is not bad, but its being used for a bad purpose. Folks should clarify their platform; carcinogenic chemical use in the food supply is the real problem.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:36:49 +0000
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