Thread: Ask Me About Genetic Engineering

It seems that there are a lot of misconceptions about genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms. After doing great research and multiple school projects on the subject, including several persuasive essays, I'd like to try and clear up any illusions or questions people may have about this science. I will do my best to answer questions briefly, yet concisely, and with respect.

So, fire away!

I'll have a crack. What are the real dangers of genetic engineering, and what are the most common misconceptions?

Is Monsanto out to get us all, or are they just money-hogging capitalists?

I'm very pro-GE, but don't like those who are trying to extort farmers by taking advantage of the patent system.

Originally Posted by khh

I'll have a crack. What are the real dangers of genetic engineering, and what are the most common misconceptions?

Perhaps the largest danger is "genetic pollution," wherein a gene not normally found in nature rapidly hybridizes with other species of plant, sometimes for the better, but usually for the worst. For example, a type of herbicide-resistant plant may cross with a weed, and lead to a new breed of weeds immune to that certain herbicide. The other major problem would be unintended consequences. Say a new form of potatoes is grown to be resistant to a particular type of microbe, and so the microbial population diminishes. Well, say these microbes are vital for cloud formation. Now that fewer of these exist, there are less clouds, and havoc ensues. Not the best examples, but you get the idea. I guess if you really wanted to go all-out extreme, it would be possible to reverse-engineer a new strain of smallpox from a bit of common ebola, which is rather scary, but quite unlikely to happen.

As for common misconceptions, you hear all the time about "frankentaters" and "fishy tomatoes" and the like, often depicted with cartoons like this:

Such claims and pictures promote entirely the wrong idea. While it is true that some tomatoes contain genes from a flounder, the fear mongers have us believe, at some level, that fish flesh is actually being produced within the tomato, which is simply untrue.

Originally Posted by Odd_Nonposter

Is Monsanto out to get us all, or are they just money-hogging capitalists?

I'm very pro-GE, but don't like those who are trying to extort farmers by taking advantage of the patent system.

I haven't done much digging into the economic side of things, but I would guess they're greedy bastards more than anything else. I agree, it is ridiculous how they abuse the patent system, and something about that must be changed in the near future.

Originally Posted by Mario92

The other major problem would be unintended consequences.

Isn't it possible that some unintended side effect could cause adverse reactions in humans?

Originally Posted by Mario92

I haven't done much digging into the economic side of things, but I would guess they're greedy bastards more than anything else. I agree, it is ridiculous how they abuse the patent system, and something about that must be changed in the near future.

But then again, without the greedy bastards, who will finance the research? There's a reason we have a patent system.

Originally Posted by khh

Isn't it possible that some unintended side effect could cause adverse reactions in humans?

Yes, this is very true. Superweeds would make farming difficult, for one thing. As for direct adverse health effects, you would have to be working with anthrax or something, I think. Genetic pollution on its own should not have any adverse side effects, and GE crops are completely safe (at least, the modern ones are). Mostly. The ones intended for consumption are.

But then again, without the greedy bastards, who will finance the research? There's a reason we have a patent system.

Yes, patents can be very good and are essential, but the way the GE industry abuses them is sickening. You can patent individual genes nowadays, which is simply ludicrous. By now, half the genes in your body probably belong to GE companies.