Stronger Plants, Stronger Science, and Stronger Communication
A few weeks ago, I got a message from the folks at Ashoka Changemakers – earlier this summer they started a contest, one of many that they host, to spur some original thinking to help see our society out of the debate over genetically engineered crops. It is called GMO Risk or Rescue? Helping Consumers…
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Marion Nestle’s post Labeling GM foods: if the U.K. can do it, we can too! has been passed around the internet many times in the past few days by opponents of biotechnology. I appreciate their desire to know more about what they are eating, and I appreciate that Dr. Nestle admitted that “GM labeling as an issue of consumer choice, not of science”. However, I think these efforts are misguided. To help demonstrate why seeking mandatory labeling of ingredients derived from GM crops is inappropriate, please consider the following example:
When you bring up GE crops to people, one of the common objections is “Can’t these GMOs cause allergies?” Sure it is possible, as with any plant genetic modification (including breeding), which is why GE crops are tested for allergenicity according to regulations. But now, it seems, the opposite may be true. “Can’t we use…
(via onegoodmove) Philip Alcabes was just on the Daily Show, and talked about how our fear gets the better of us. We fear things that are less real than the real dangers that we are exposed to every day. Here is the interview: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c…
In the genetic engineering discussion, within the opposition there emerges a general dislike for “technology.” Usually, when people say technology they mean things that are made of metal, plastic, uses electricity, has protruding hypodermic needles, and is usually shiny. The opposite of things that are natural or organic, technology is entirely human-derived and artificial-looking. Of…
By Melinda Yerka This is a painting done by Sir Charles Bell in 1809 of a soldier dying of tetanus. Doesn’t look too comfortable, hmm? Tetanus is a condition brought on when certain bacteria, called Clostridium tetani, enter deep puncture wounds, such as the proverbial rusty nail, or in this soldier’s case, a dirty sword…
The idea that GMOs are causing people to commit suicide is very compelling. But is it true? A study released by IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute) in October says there is no connection between Bt cotton and farmer suicides in India. IFPRI “seeks sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty”, so it makes sense…
Robert Reich, Prof of Public Policy at UC Berkley, gave a realistic view of fuel and food today on NPR’s Marketplace. The cost of food and fuel are soaring, not just in the U.S. but all over the globe. The world’s poor are suffering the most — culminating in riots and starvation — but price…
I’ve finished reading Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept Out of Africa. Robert Paarlberg describes the social and political issues that have led to distrust of agricultural science in the developed world, and how this distrust was exported to developing countries. The book is definitely a good read, but seems repetitive at times….
I jut watched Lord of War with my husband. Yes, I rarely see movies in a timely manner – that’s what I get for being involved in probably too many things. Anyway, I don’t know much of anything about the arms trade besides that it exists and that I don’t like it. The movie itself…