GMO: Harmful or Helpful

[Bjorn]

I am coming in search of evidence regarding this subject. I am not currently swayed either direction though I will admit to blindly accepting Monsantos villainy.

I HEAR about scientific research supporting GMO harmful effects is being suppressed. I look through Google and find unreliable sources.

Can anyone help shed some light? I'd appreciate any and all insight from either direction.

[Denarius]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

There is the potential for problems related to agriculture and the environment, but when it comes to just straight consuming GMO products there isn't really much to consider. It's food, pure and simple.

Nothing fundamentally different about it in terms of diet and nutrition, furthermore every commercially available GMO food product has been tested probably more than most medicines are.

If there are problems, they're extremely big picture. At the end of the day, GMOs are one of the best shots we have at solving our food problems.

Of which we have many, btw. Wheat that can grow in arid lands, trees that are resistant to infestation, heck even mosquito hostile pondscum are all possibilities in the GMO future.

[Rae'ya]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Many of our food products have been GMO for a very, very, very long time.

Personally, I think that overconsumption of specific ingredients is much more of a problem. I'm in the camp that believes GMO is not bad for you in and of itself, but that consuming the exact same strain of wheat or soy in EVERY SINGLE THING YOU EAT is bad for you.

My issues with GMO are that it supports lack of dietary diversity, is contributing to the extinction of heritage strain food plants, and generally messes with ecological factors.

And no, I have no sources for this today. I'm being lazy and opinionated. I might dig some up later.

[ThorsSon]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Every domesticated plant or animal is GMO.

Some things have been modified nefariously (almost all of the corn grown today, is modified to a point that it is actually inedible without processing... and it is all sterile... meaning that the seeds won't germinate... making it impossible for farmers to grow heirloom crops).

But, just being GMO says nothing, really. Dogs are GMO wolves, after all... just because the people who did it didn't know about genetics, doesn't change the fact that they performed genetic manipulation... it just took a LOT of generations.

[Heka]

Every domesticated plant or animal is GMO.

Some things have been modified nefariously (almost all of the corn grown today, is modified to a point that it is actually inedible without processing... and it is all sterile... meaning that the seeds won't germinate... making it impossible for farmers to grow heirloom crops).

But, just being GMO says nothing, really. Dogs are GMO wolves, after all... just because the people who did it didn't know about genetics, doesn't change the fact that they performed genetic manipulation... it just took a LOT of generations.

But isn't that the difference between GMO, and hybridisation?

[ThorsSon]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

But isn't that the difference between GMO, and hybridisation?

I can't see the difference.

---

I take that back... dogs aren't a result of hybridization... a mule is a result of hybridization... but dogs aren't.

Dogs are a result of selective breeding (genetic manipulation).

[Rae'ya]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

But isn't that the difference between GMO, and hybridisation?

Nope. GMO just means 'genetically modified organism'. We do this all the time. When you break it right down in layperson's terms, getting our hands in there and meddling with something on a cellular or DNA level is essentially just an accelerated (and more reliable) form of selective breeding. Hybridisation could be considered a form of GMO, though, and from memory is actually used in some GMO foods.

[Heka]

Nope. GMO just means 'genetically modified organism'. We do this all the time. When you break it right down in layperson's terms, getting our hands in there and meddling with something on a cellular or DNA level is essentially just an accelerated (and more reliable) form of selective breeding. Hybridisation could be considered a form of GMO, though, and from memory is actually used in some GMO foods.

Then the difference is the intent? GMO is the intentional modification of an organism, hybridisation is the natural, incidental path?

Btw sorry Bjorn for the hijack. I saw this on your fb before I saw it here, I know you're keen for answers

[ThorsSon]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Then the difference is the intent? GMO is the intentional modification of an organism, hybridisation is the natural, incidental path?

Btw sorry Bjorn for the hijack. I saw this on your fb before I saw it here, I know you're keen for answers

No, Hybridisation is the act of creating hybrids. Hybrids are the offspring of two individual species... usually sterile.

GMO is an organism resultant of genetic modification. Selective breeding is a form of genetic modification, thus dogs are GMO.

Mules are hybrids (horse/donkey).

Hybrids are a type of GMO (as Rae'ya said).

[Rae'ya]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Then the difference is the intent? GMO is the intentional modification of an organism, hybridisation is the natural, incidental path?

Btw sorry Bjorn for the hijack. I saw this on your fb before I saw it here, I know you're keen for answers

Not really, no.

Hybridisation is when you cross-breed two organisms of different race, breed or species. Basically, if they weren't already genetically the same, and you cross-breed them, you now have a hybrid. Obvious examples are things like Ligers, less obvious are things like Bengal cats. Non-obvious examples are hybridised plants like certain strains of wheat. Hybridisation is one of the things that they do when they make GMO foods, but they don't always like to admit the hybridisation still counts. Generally, it's intentional. When we call it 'hybridisation' we're talking about humans making it happen. Otherwise, it's 'mongrels' or 'mutations' or 'accidents of nature' or something along those lines. Nature generally likes genetic diversity... humans only like it when they want stripey lions or semi-feral cats or wheat that grows in a certain climate and has the bug resistance of some other unrelated plant.

GMO is the umbrella term that includes multiple techniques. Usually when used in GMO food debates it relates specifically to genetic engineering - going in and making changes to the DNA itself. But if you widen the definition it includes selective breeding and hybridisation. It's one of those terms that gets narrower or wider depending on which side of the fence you sit.

[Heka]

Cool, thanks dudes. I have a better understanding now

I was thinking of GMO being just the DNA modification business. It makes sense that it's more than that. I guess I've only been exposed to it from the "GMO is evil, dont tamper with the DNA types peoples".

[B. de Corbin]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

OK...

I don't much worry about these things because I have a robust digestive system, and could most likely digest a Cadillac. However, I am aware of some glitches in the barnyard...

Take the humble 'tater, for example.

Potatoes typically are susceptible to a variety of diseases. One effective way of dealing with specific 'tater bugs is to use Bt, a very common, organic disease which affects specific 'tater bugs. In the past, Bt was spread over 'tater plants to kill the bugs. The bugs ate, ingested Bt, got sick, and croaked.

Currently, potatoes have been genetically altered to include Bt toxins right in the plant.

In the past, there has never been a problem with Bt. It was spread on the plant, did what it did, then was washed off before cooking.

Now, the Bt toxins are IN the potato plant. You can not help but consume it.

This may not be a problem, but maybe it is....

We can't be sure whether the Bt toxins have some effect on the human body when consumed that it did not have when it was applied to the growing plant. Possibly people have allergies? Possibly people have a low tolerance? And so on...

The point of all this is this - when all the sound and fury clears, we are currently ingesting stuff we (as a species) haven't ingested in large quantities before, and people are concerned about the potential effect of said ingestion.

(P.S. - people love to hate Monsanto. One thing I've heard is about the "suicide gene." Monsanto has beed seeds which require treatment with specific chemicals before they will set seed. The accusation is that Monsanto profits twice by doing this - once when they sell the seed, and again when they sell the necessary chemical.

The truth is that the suicide gene is a safety device, which prevents the genetically modified plant from running rampant in the wild.)

[ThorsSon]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Cool, thanks dudes. I have a better understanding now

I was thinking of GMO being just the DNA modification business. It makes sense that it's more than that. I guess I've only been exposed to it from the "GMO is evil, dont tamper with the DNA types peoples".

This might blow your mind... but you are a GMO.

You are humanly genetically modified.

All of your ancestors chose sexual partners that they were sexually attracted to... meaning, just like dogs, you were humanly selectively bred for.

true... dogs were controlled by another species (humans)... but that changes noghing

[Heka]

This might blow your mind... but you are a GMO.

You are humanly genetically modified.

All of your ancestors chose sexual partners that they were sexually attracted to... meaning, just like dogs, you were humanly selectively bred for.

true... dogs were controlled by another species (humans)... but that changes noghing

Lol, mind not blown. By putting GMO in that context, evolution by natural selection isn't mind blowing

[Rae'ya]

Re: GMO: Harmful or Helpful

Cool, thanks dudes. I have a better understanding now

I was thinking of GMO being just the DNA modification business. It makes sense that it's more than that. I guess I've only been exposed to it from the "GMO is evil, dont tamper with the DNA types peoples".

Yeah lots of people have narrowed it down to just the DNA mod stuff, especially those who are performing borderline modifications on their own products while trying to circumvent the anti-GMO hype. Hybrid strain plants, which few people seem to get up in arms about, is sometimes done via direct DNA modification. But because they don't call themselves 'GMO' no one seems to notice.