New GM foods the answer?

[BraggSurvivor]

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/gm-food/mg19726372.900-could-new-gm-crops-please-the-greens.html

This is some scary stuff to think about. I can see huge advantages to using less fertiliser and pesticides and in improved drought tolerance, however the risks from letting the Gene- Genie out of the bottle may be too great. There are always those pesky 'unintended consequences' !



I can just imagine how the Libertarians will weigh in on this issue! :confused:

[Chris]

For it... corn we all eat was genetically engineered. Its fine.

IF anything will solve world hunger, it is this.

[RangerXanatos]

Those "uninteded consequeces" aren't always pesky... Look at Viagra, the drug was started to treat people with hypertension but now it's used for erectile dysfunction. Also, Rogaine. There are many unitended consequences that are actually beneficial.

Many of the foods that you buy at the store have been genetically modified. Seedless watermelons for one. Also, the next time you peel a banana, see if there are any seeds in them and how the "fruit" splits. Did you know that all the roses that you send to your girlfriend/wife were engineered to look the way they do? True roses only have few petals and are short to the ground.

In that article they talk about Nitrous oxide (N20) being a green house gas. That's the same gas that the dentists use: laughing gas.

But do I personally believe that it would be a good idea to let these people realese their modified plants? Maybe in time. But not yet. There should be more tests done on these plants to be sure that the genes won't take over other plants and destroy ecosystems.

Daniel

[Capt.Canuck]

For it... corn we all eat was genetically engineered. Its fine.

IF anything will solve world hunger, it is this.

World hunger (aka food aid) is a tricky issue though, when those countries most in need of food aid also have the highest birth rates and are the least able to support themselves. The majority of African countries for example.

Throw into the mix despotic and corrupt leaders and bureaucrats (in those same countries) who are primarily concerned with retaining power and lining their own pockets, and we have a mess that more food production just won't solve.

One can also argue, as Thomas Malthus did, that starvation acts as a check on population growth. That may seem hard-hearted, but I think that most people can agree that unchecked population growth could lead to even greater humanitarian catastrophes. i.e. a scenario in which population is growing exponentially in aid-dependent countries, and food production only growing arithmetically, humanity could easily reach a point where billions are starving (as opposed to millions currently).

[Rick]

The outstanding issue I have with it is folks that have allergies may suddenly be allergic to a food that has been safe for them to eat. Having said that, we've been engineering plants for hundreds of years through cross breeding and grafting. 9 billion folks by 2050? That's a lot of hungry mouths. We had better figure out some way of increasing yield or we might be one of the hungry ones.

[Capt.Canuck]

The outstanding issue I have with it is folks that have allergies may suddenly be allergic to a food that has been safe for them to eat. Having said that, we've been engineering plants for hundreds of years through cross breeding and grafting. 9 billion folks by 2050? That's a lot of hungry mouths. We had better figure out some way of increasing yield or we might be one of the hungry ones.

Increasing yield or decreasing consumption per capita in the rich world. For example, as of the year 2000, 31% of American adults were obese, and a further 16% defined as overweight. Canada and other rich nations are following that trend as well, and it's getting worse.

Not only does that mean that an extraordinary amount of food is being wasted that could otherwise feed the hungry, but there are massive health care and corollary economic costs associated with dealing with that epidemic. There are an estimated 400,000 premature deaths per year in America alone associated with obesity, not to mention the tens of millions being treated for related (and avoidable) diseases and medical conditions.

A further weighty statistic - apparently American airlines spend an additional $275m per year on fuel simply to lift heavier passengers.

(source: The Economist, 12 July 08, "Food in rich countries: A bad habit they can't give up")

[BraggSurvivor]

Simply telling people to eat less and exercise more is not enough, Liang noted.

http://news.aol.com/article/all-us-adults-could-be-overweight-in-40/121577?icid=100214839x1207340983x1200377188


Caught something on a TV program this past weekend. Discovery Health channel? A current theory about obesity is that in overweight people the human body is starving for nutrition. Modern agricultural practices have depleted minerals from the soil. Your body needs something like 75+ essential minerals for optimum health. So the result is modern food is nutrient sparse. Even organic food. So it takes a much larger volume of food to get nutrients. Whereas in the past food was nutrient dense. Packed with minerals, etc... per cubic gram. That's why poor folks in the ghetto are huge. Eat nutrient sparse food. Body isn't getting what it needs. So keeps screaming I'm hungry. So they keep eating the Cheetos and Ding Dongs. The guy was saying that your stomach signals it's hungry not when it's empty. But when your cells need nutrients. So best thing to lose weight is to have low calorie, but nutrient dense meals. Like a shake with ionic minerals and vitamins. Your hunger automatically goes away.

[Sam Reeves]

Your body needs something like 75+ essential minerals for optimum health. So the result is modern food is nutrient sparse. Even organic food. So it takes a much larger volume of food to get nutrients. Whereas in the past food was nutrient dense. Packed with minerals, etc... per cubic gram. That's why poor folks in the ghetto are huge. Eat nutrient sparse food. Body isn't getting what it needs. So keeps screaming I'm hungry. So they keep eating the Cheetos and Ding Dongs. The guy was saying that your stomach signals it's hungry not when it's empty. But when your cells need nutrients. So best thing to lose weight is to have low calorie, but nutrient dense meals. Like a shake with ionic minerals and vitamins. Your hunger automatically goes away.

It's almost impossible to eat healthy if you didn't grow it or kill it. High fructose corn syrup and your choice of 30 preservatives. I'm surprise people live past fifty years of age any more.

[Rick]

31% of American adults were obese, and a further 16% defined as overweight.

And your point is, Mr. Mind Your Own Beeswax? Round is a great shape! Cuddly, warm, huggable, soft and a great personality all apply to me, thank you very much! All we need are food police invading my right to eat my 5th Double McYucky with cheese.

I'll show you. Just watch this! .....

http://www.bookofjoe.com/images/twinkie_man.jpg

[RobertRogers]

Bad stuff. Humans are nowhere near total understanding how the web of life operates - mess with the system and unintended consequences are going to happen. Perhaps catastrophically.

For example, tweak some genes in corn and maybe nearly every insect of certain species that attempts to pollinate it dies. The whole ecosystem (believe it or not folks we humans rely upon the ecosystem to function properly in order for us to survive) could become disrupted leading to a famine of unimaginable size.

[yellowcab]

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[yellowcab]

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