I used to do genetic mutations and happen to know a good amount behind the science, including to a lesser extend the GM foods, specicfically Golden rice and BT corn.
The major Probelem with GM foods is public relations. People are scared of Mutated foods. It has a stimga attached to it. MUTATION! RUN! Its the same as the stigma attached to Nuclear from the days of the Cold War (hence you go to the Doctor for an MRI, not an NMR, the name was changed to remove the N - nuclear when the technology was moved to the medical feild).
Several People mentioned that by GM'ing foods, we would risk nature evolving pesitcide/herbicide resistant bug/weeds. Here's a quick quote from earlier:
... With the ability to put genes from totally different races together, GM throws the stone further than normal evolution. Prepare to have evolution react with an equal far thrown stone, that might or might not serve humanity
This is totally Correct. By overusing certian GM variants we do risk developing "superbugs", just like we are experiencing with the over use of anti-biotics.
There is a solution to this problem. The U.S. has fairly specific regulations dictating how to plant GM foods on a farm. An entire crop cannot be GM. In addition there must be specificaly sized non-GM buffer zones adjacent to GM feilds. By giving pests a place they can "survive", you remove some of the natural selection pressure that a GM plant would produce, while still increasing Yeild (genetic drift - YaY). In addition to prevent accidental release of the GM food into the wild, the plants usually sterile when applicable. (like a peppermint plant)
This will not remove all NS pressure, but will slow it significantly to the point where if a "super pest" does develope, we can simply switch to a different BT variation or combination. The first BT corns usually contianed on gene, like CRY A, Current corns use a mutipronged approach containing CRY and a chitinase. By attacking the target in 2 fundamentally different fashions, the organism is going to have to evolve in two different (and drastic - totally new digestive trac and exoskeleton!) ways at the same time to survive.
The other misconception over GM foods is the extent to which they are modified. People see movies/fiction and think we can create super plants with death rays that will dominate the universe!!
In reality, we can only take a gene from Organism A and place it in Organism B. We are giving the plants abilities that already exist in nature. In fact, humanity has been using things found in nature since, well, always.
In the corn example. Bt is the #1 organic pesticide used in America. Its been in use since the 1960's. Unlike chemical pesticides (like DDT), it doesn't have toxic effects on the non target ecology. In fact its produced naturaly by another organism, Bacillus Thuringiensis, a soil microbe.
BT Corn, is corn that has had an insertion of the CRY gene into is genome. The CRY gene (there are several different types - with differnt targets and effects) is the gene that codes for the pesticide (a pH based enotoxin).
... most of the people on the streets who are to poor to eat Are FAT. this is due to the high amounts of sugars and various fillers which are put into genetically altered food which is all they can afford, ...
Incorrect. First you can't insert Artificial sugars into a GM crop. Its not natural, so there's no gene to insert, obviously. That's something that is done at the factory, not the feild, and would occur irregarless of genetic heritage of the food.
...another problem with GM foods is that farmers who do not want GM plants are having them in their fields because the seeds from the GM farmers are going into their fields and the organic farmers are being sued,...
Again, unless the seeds are directly being planted by a rival farmer, there's no way for a seed to get there. Also that would be a criminal matter (tresspassing).
I think you may be referring to pollen? Pollen is produced by BT corn and will blow. However, the concern is that the Pollen contains the pesticide not that it will pollenate another plant. In addition, the BT-pollen will blow into the adjacent Buffer/refuge feilds of the same farmer, where it tappers off with distance. With a large enough refuge/buffer feild, it won't make it out of the farm reducing the chance it will hit an organic feild.
Even if it does, the farmer won't get sued. In the US, Organic food must be 95% Organic or organic derived. This allows some variation or contamination or the use of some artifical methods that are required for preservation of safety, but keeps them at a minimum.
hope that helps clear up some misconeptions.
