Monsanto corn under attack by superbugs

[StupidBird]

Geez.... and I just started a scifi book - post apocalyptic caused by a tomato carried virus under that same rna rewrite principle....

 

[calendula]

Scientists at Monsanto and Syngenta AG of Basel, Switzerland, are already researching how to use a medical breakthrough called RNA interference to, among other things, make crops deadly for insects to eat. If this works, a bug munching on such a plant could ingest genetic code that turns off one of its essential genes.

Okay, this one freaks me out. What effect would that have on humans and animals? I know we have different genes than bugs...but this just isn't right.

 

[Wannabefree]

Scientists at Monsanto and Syngenta AG of Basel, Switzerland, are already researching how to use a medical breakthrough called RNA interference to, among other things, make crops deadly for insects to eat. If this works, a bug munching on such a plant could ingest genetic code that turns off one of its essential genes.

Okay, this one freaks me out. What effect would that have on humans and animals? I know we have different genes than bugs...but this just isn't right.

Probably the same effect it has on the bugs. RNA (ribonucleic acid) is akin to DNA (dioxyribonucleic acid) and will very likely effect us too. How? Well....we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? Let's eat some corn and scramble our DNA What is astounding is that scientists can't figure out what causes folks to be chimeras(people who have two sets of DNA within the same body), which is a DNA issue, but they can say positively that this stuff is safe for us to eat Soooo stupid.

 

[Lady Henevere]

Scientists at Monsanto and Syngenta AG of Basel, Switzerland, are already researching how to use a medical breakthrough called RNA interference to, among other things, make crops deadly for insects to eat. If this works, a bug munching on such a plant could ingest genetic code that turns off one of its essential genes.

Okay, this one freaks me out. What effect would that have on humans and animals? I know we have different genes than bugs...but this just isn't right.

That part freaks me out too. I can see them making sure it doesn't directly kill humans (that would be bad for business, after all), but completely missing the effects on the big picture, like what this does to beneficial intestinal flora in the long term, or how it affects the breakdown of waste by accidentally killing entire populations of insects (which in turn leaves animals higher up the food chain to starve), or something like that.

 

[Marianne]

I was trying really hard not to read this topic. Some things just........well, you know.

Save your own seed or
Buy non GMO seed.
Grow your own food or buy from those you know.

 

[abifae]

Okay, this one freaks me out. What effect would that have on humans and animals? I know we have different genes than bugs...but this just isn't right.

 

[calendula]

Oh my goodness! If they had only known.

You know, my grandma told me that when she was a kid, they used to have trucks driving around that would spray DDT everywhere. She said her and her sisters used to run in the mist behind the trucks. "We thought is was great!" she said. My grandma has also had multiple instances of cancer...

Yeah, so what could possibly go wrong when you make plants that can alter DNA? Sounds like a great idea.

 

[Britesea]

I seriously doubt these superbugs will ONLY eat the gmo corn.... regular corn will probably be just as tasty to them. this is really scary news.