Monsanto:Extinction

[Ohiorganic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ5Ox...&feature=share

[Billy B]

WOW!

[RozieDozie]

I'm going to try and see it. This slooooow 'puter only gives me 30 seconds at the time. Sure starts off with a BANG!

[Flowerluver]

Interesting and somewhat scary clip.
You would think there would be some other marker they could use.
How many times have there been problems when a non-native species is brought in to control a pest, then the solution species becomes a pest.
This is along the same lines, but on a cellular level. And those cells end up in our cells...

[fugacity]

Originally Posted by Flowerluver

Interesting and somewhat scary clip.
You would think there would be some other marker they could use.
How many times have there been problems when a non-native species is brought in to control a pest, then the solution species becomes a pest.
This is along the same lines, but on a cellular level. And those cells end up in our cells...

They call it a "marker" as if it's just a flag. It's a selection tool - you treat the microbes w/ antibiotic so the ones that survive are the ones w/ your gene since it was linked w/the antibiotic "marker."

Also the antibiotic resistant gense are usually for Ampacylin and Kanamycin. These are antibiotics that many infectious bacteria are ALREADY resistant too. Even if (and that's a leap) the genes went from corn to disease causing bacteria, it wouldn't make matters worse than they already are for ampacylin an kanamycin resistant bacteria.

Lots of scare tactics in this video aimed at people that don't know the scientific facts. No offense intended but using terms like E. Coli and viral invasion the way they sounds bad but is really nowhere near as doom and gloom as they try to make it.

(E. Coli is not a terrible scary bacteria btw. It is VERY commonly used and VERY well characterized and undersood which is why it is used whenver possible in biotech. The strains being used wouldn't hurt you.)

And all those cells do not in any way end up in our cells.

[Flowerluver]

The cells don't , but their contents do.
"you are what you eat"

[fugacity]

Originally Posted by Flowerluver

The cells don't , but their contents do.
"you are what you eat"

That's still not true. The actual occurance of gene drift from food to our own cells is very very small. There is more (still very small and very disputed) evidence that the genes end up in bacterial cells that live in our gut - much more likely, but were still in the "doesn't happen" rate.

Think about it, that whole video is predicatedon how rare it is for genes from bacteria to enter a plant. That is very true. That is why biotechnology is difficult. Now if that is true then why would our cells that are more complex than plant or bacteria have fewer defenses against foreign DNA?

It's just not how the whole thing works. You need to be very critical of fear mongers that use this double speak. It can't simultanesously be nearly possible and unnatural for DNA to invade cells and also be so easy that cells are taking up bt genes.

[Flowerluver]

I'm going on all the things humans have said were impossible due to our (humans) intelligence and skill: we built a ship so strong it could never sink akaTitanic;
That sea wall will protect the reactors plus there are so many fail-safes and back ups there could never be a nuclear disaster in Japan.
Seems whenever we get cocky, nature proves us wrong.