!!ATTENTION!! Here is a paper I wrote for my seed science class at Texas Tech a year or so ago. I havnt seen anything coming out about this aspect of the issue and I believe it to be the most pressing. Please read and share. This is not about spreading fear, but spreading awareness to those who are in the dark. This is a pivotal issue we are faced with for the creation of a vibrant sustainable culture on our planet. GE Seed: Seeds of Change... For the Worse? In the last 100 years we have unlocked many of the great mysteries of time and matter, life and death, and of creation and destruction. We can now split the atom into its smaller components, alter our genetic code, create new forms of life, and even alter our weather patterns, all things historically left to nature and God. Before Carl Sagan passed away in 1996, he defined this fragile time in history as “Technological Adolescence.” A time where we have come into creation altering technology, but are still learning how to use it maturely and responsibly. Let us discuss one facet of this technology, GE seed. In order to display efficaciously the dangers of GE seed, one must briefly discuss the processes entailed in creating these seeds. The most popular method uses an organism called agrobacterium to transfer the desired gene into normal seed cells. The agrobacterium normally transfers tumor growing genetics into plant but can be disarmed of this gene and replaced with whatever gene is desired, whether it be from plant, animal, or even human. Most often, the “aggie” is armed with an insecticide production gene, a herbicide resistant gene, an antibiotic resistance gene to test if plant took gene, and a promotor virus such as cauliflower promotor virus, which forces cells to produce genetics. The new seedlings called GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) are doused in antibiotic or herbicide to see which plants took the new genes. Of course those that don’t die took the gene. The plants then undergo a visual inspection for uniformity and size and see little testing afterwords before they are available to public. If thats not spooky enough, here are the dangers. When the plants are doused in antibiotics or herbicide, not all of the armed aggies are destroyed. When the plants are taken to the field for normal growth, the armed aggies move to the soil. They can survive here for up to 2 years and populations can double about every 9.8 minutes. These bacterium are now free to transfer the genes injected in the lab to other bacterium, plants, and animals including humans. Not only can the aggies spread the genes, the GMO’s can transfer these genes through cross pollination. Scientists suspect that new antibiotic resistant diseases are an inevitable repercussion of this. There are no known methods to stop these genes from spreading. There is no parachute in the circumstance that things go awry. Mono-cropping inevitably has a negative affect on insect populations, but if the insecticide gene starts to spread to other plants, the affects could be detrimental. Bee’s alone pollinate 90% of the world’s commercial plants including most food plants. Four species of bumblebee populations in the US have already plummeted by 96% in the past few decades according to the most comprehensive national census of insects, with honeybees not far behind falling to about 50%. It is thought that this has been caused by loss of biodiversity (mono-cropping destroys natural ecosystems) plants with insecticide genes. Without bees, there is no agriculture.A Study released by International Journal of Biological Sciences analyzes the effects of GM foods on mammalian health. Researches definitively found that Monsanto GM corn is linked with organ failure, mainly kidney and liver, in rats. This barely skims the surface of the plethora of scientific research revealing the dangers of using GE seed. Many scientists have been silenced by the big bioengineering corporations such as Mansanto and Dupont, driven by the urge to expand with disregard to the health of the consumers and the environment. Mansanto is currently working on the patents for what they call Terminator technology. This would cause plants to not produce viable seed. It is obvious that if this trait is exposed and spread in the environment, the effects could be devastating. Essentially, GE seed is a new technology of which we have no idea the longterm effects. I feel that the irresponsible use of these organisms is the greatest issue the planet faces at this time. Even so, I am hopeful and have faith in the wisdom and compassion humanity is rooted in. Works Cited: Bardocz, Susan PhD. Submissions to the New Zealand Royal Commission on Genetic Modification. Retrieved from:alor.org/NewZealand/Globalisation%20and%20Genetic%20Engineering.htm Ho, Mae-Wan, PhD. Horizontal Gene Transfer - The Hidden Hazards of Genetic Engineering. Retrieved from : isis.org.uk/horizontal.php Huber, Don PhD. Interview with Dr. Mercola. Retrieved from:articles.mercola/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/10/dr-don-huber-interview-part-1.aspx Wikipedia. Agrobacterium Tumefaciens. Retrieved from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/agrobacterium_tumefaciens Wikipedia. Colony collapse disorder. Retrieved from:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 01:27:32 +0000
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