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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 1257 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about organic food - 11/09/2012 08:55:17 PM 746 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about organic food - 11/09/2012 09:20:49 PM 757 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 604 Views
I'm familiar with the literature on this matter actually. - 13/09/2012 07:26:09 PM 667 Views
Okay - 11/09/2012 10:05:39 PM 696 Views
Re: Okay - 12/09/2012 01:26:20 AM 651 Views
Re: Okay - 12/09/2012 04:25:19 PM 730 Views
Re: I'd be interested in knowing what you guys think about food - 11/09/2012 08:59:54 PM 1001 Views
I am intrigued by your ideas. - 12/09/2012 03:20:13 PM 623 Views
I'm a biology graduate so I'm a bit bias but... - 11/09/2012 09:41:00 PM 863 Views
Thank you for you perspective! *NM* - 11/09/2012 10:14:49 PM 339 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 683 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 734 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 785 Views
Good points - 12/09/2012 09:28:41 AM 786 Views
Re: Good points - 12/09/2012 02:09:49 PM 705 Views
Yes. - 12/09/2012 10:01:36 AM 673 Views
I like it. - 11/09/2012 11:29:08 PM 784 Views
What I think - 12/09/2012 03:43:29 PM 625 Views
Re: What I think - 12/09/2012 04:26:34 PM 711 Views
Did you just INVITE me to ramble? - 11/09/2012 11:30:01 PM 864 Views
Actually (minor pedants point) - 13/09/2012 08:23:48 PM 733 Views
I hold to the view that most food is organic - 12/09/2012 12:15:27 AM 863 Views
What I think (now in the right spot!) - 12/09/2012 04:02:31 PM 801 Views
I'm so glad you responded. - 12/09/2012 04:14:31 PM 766 Views
Well... - 12/09/2012 08:15:13 PM 818 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 664 Views
Actually, I believe the "no pesticides" part predates the "no GMOs" part. - 13/09/2012 05:26:53 AM 702 Views
You're right... - 13/09/2012 08:43:52 AM 774 Views
Thanks for confirming my general impression as right on the money. - 14/09/2012 03:35:56 PM 736 Views
Re: Thanks for confirming my general impression as right on the money. - 16/09/2012 07:45:25 PM 752 Views
That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 17/09/2012 11:22:38 PM 717 Views
Re: That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 20/09/2012 08:44:45 PM 750 Views
Re: That is a very interesting overview, thanks. - 24/09/2012 03:06:35 AM 768 Views
Curious as to where you read these things - 13/09/2012 08:41:43 PM 733 Views
I am aware of no corroborating scientific research, no - 14/09/2012 03:53:42 PM 766 Views
I have some serious problems with that I'm afraid. - 14/09/2012 05:53:39 PM 652 Views
Fair enough; I have some serious fears with GMOs. - 15/09/2012 03:58:13 AM 788 Views
This is a long one... - 15/09/2012 08:28:36 PM 741 Views
Tends to happen around me for SOME reason.... - 17/09/2012 05:31:44 PM 839 Views

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