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I'm familiar with the literature on this matter actually. TheCrownless Send a noteboard - 13/09/2012 07:26:09 PM
impact on the environment. eden foods held a conference called 'seeds in the wind of change' that i went to where scientists gave talks on how genetic drift from gmo crops has already occurred even though they're not supposed to have any impact of surrounding plants and how certain insects not expected to be targeted by gmo crops, specifically bt corn (corn with bacillus thuringensis dna in their dna to kill corn destroying fungus) also happens to be killing harmless insects.


I've spent plenty of time reading research papers on the effects of GMO's. I work in a lab where we test the effects of pesticides (organic, artificial and genetic alterations of plant defence) on pollinators of crop plants. We work specifically in the field of preventing unsafe pesticides from being licensed in the UK, I feel confident I've got enough background in this issue to speak about it.

Your points about genetic drift are vastly over-stated, these is minimal evidence that this occurs in the field to any significant level. Mainly because outside of monoculture most GMO genes are a hindrance rather than any competitive advantage and even when they are genetic drift is often enough to swamp them (I assume when you said genetic drift you meant gene flow rather than changes within a population due to random sampling.

Transgenic maize has shown to be relatively harmless to a vast swathe of nematodes, true earth worms and a whole host of soil microbe classes. The one example of bt toxin having a harmful effect on NTO's was with the monarch butterfly. One of my colleagues Angharad Gatehouse wrote a rather damning paper on the actual ecology of such a claim (effectively disproving it's legitimacy) in one of the Trends journals (I forget which, it should be easy enough to find on WOS).

While I'd be inclined to agree with you it would be pointless to bother with GMO's in organic farming (mainly because it's such a small niche it would be worthless), when it comes to actually feeding people it's pretty much a no-brainer. It allows for reduced pesticide spraying and novel ways of getting around the lack of iron and vitamin A in the diet of about 1/3rd of the Asian and African populations.
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I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about organic food - 11/09/2012 08:01:41 PM 1011 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about organic food - 11/09/2012 08:55:17 PM 545 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about organic food - 11/09/2012 09:20:49 PM 568 Views
i suggest watching henry rollins' film h is for hunger. and then looking up research on gmo crops' - 12/09/2012 12:57:48 AM 421 Views
I'm familiar with the literature on this matter actually. - 13/09/2012 07:26:09 PM 468 Views
Okay - 11/09/2012 10:05:39 PM 512 Views
Re: Okay - 12/09/2012 01:26:20 AM 452 Views
Re: Okay - 12/09/2012 04:25:19 PM 541 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about food - 11/09/2012 08:59:54 PM 727 Views
I am intrigued by your ideas. - 12/09/2012 03:20:13 PM 453 Views
I'm a biology graduate so I'm a bit bias but... - 11/09/2012 09:41:00 PM 639 Views
Thank you for you perspective! *NM* - 11/09/2012 10:14:49 PM 253 Views
I think organic food is a luxury that few will want as food prices increase in the coming decades. - 11/09/2012 10:11:33 PM 532 Views
Re: I think organic food is a luxury that few will want as food prices increase in the coming -- - 11/09/2012 10:35:08 PM 551 Views
Re: I think organic food is a luxury that few will want as food prices increase in the coming -- - 12/09/2012 02:38:24 AM 537 Views
Good points - 12/09/2012 09:28:41 AM 589 Views
Re: Good points - 12/09/2012 02:09:49 PM 510 Views
Yes. - 12/09/2012 10:01:36 AM 490 Views
I like it. - 11/09/2012 11:29:08 PM 590 Views
What I think - 12/09/2012 03:43:29 PM 429 Views
Re: What I think - 12/09/2012 04:26:34 PM 526 Views
Did you just INVITE me to ramble? - 11/09/2012 11:30:01 PM 665 Views
Actually (minor pedants point) - 13/09/2012 08:23:48 PM 560 Views
I hold to the view that most food is organic - 12/09/2012 12:15:27 AM 596 Views
What I think (now in the right spot!) - 12/09/2012 04:02:31 PM 615 Views
I'm so glad you responded. - 12/09/2012 04:14:31 PM 574 Views
Well... - 12/09/2012 08:15:13 PM 618 Views
I think the organic movement is mostly a big scam: an excuse to charge more money for less food. - 12/09/2012 11:40:40 PM 483 Views
Actually, I believe the "no pesticides" part predates the "no GMOs" part. - 13/09/2012 05:26:53 AM 491 Views
You're right... - 13/09/2012 08:43:52 AM 584 Views
Thanks for confirming my general impression as right on the money. - 14/09/2012 03:35:56 PM 575 Views
Re: Thanks for confirming my general impression as right on the money. - 16/09/2012 07:45:25 PM 531 Views
That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 17/09/2012 11:22:38 PM 526 Views
Re: That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 20/09/2012 08:44:45 PM 549 Views
Re: That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 24/09/2012 03:06:35 AM 555 Views
Curious as to where you read these things - 13/09/2012 08:41:43 PM 534 Views
I am aware of no corroborating scientific research, no - 14/09/2012 03:53:42 PM 554 Views
I have some serious problems with that I'm afraid. - 14/09/2012 05:53:39 PM 443 Views
Fair enough; I have some serious fears with GMOs. - 15/09/2012 03:58:13 AM 611 Views
This is a long one... - 15/09/2012 08:28:36 PM 534 Views
Tends to happen around me for SOME reason.... - 17/09/2012 05:31:44 PM 648 Views

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