05-26-2013, 07:49 PM
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just a fucking jerk
Industry Role:
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: invisible GNC
Posts: 68,133
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Quote:
Originally Posted by helterskelter808
I think the basic point is, when you have a substance that is essential to life, that has worked for thousands of years, don't fuck it up with all kinds of genetic mutations that could have potentially catastrophic and irreversible effects.
Probably too late for that though. I doubt there's a person alive who even remembers what a strawberry is supposed to taste like.
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thoughts on this?
Quote:
Now there is a new push to develop GM crops for the developing world that may recast genetic engineering as the best path out of hunger for billions (not just a cash crop for companies such as Monsanto, which create the pesticide-resistant "Roundup Ready" crop varieties).
At the forefront of this GM effort is the lowly cassava. The starch root, resembling a long thick-skinned potato, is major source of sustenance for more than 250 million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Yet it’s also a poor sustenance: Its lack of essential micronutrients as vitamin A, iron, and zinc contribute to the malnutrition among 800 million people worldwide.
BioCassava Plus, a program backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is re-engineering the cassava into a nutritious crop with higher levels of beta carotene, iron, and protein, as well as resistance to pests and pathogens. Progress is slow--field trials and breeding programs take years--but other attempts are being made to apply these same principles to other crops with life-saving potential for millions in the developed world: golden rice, sweet potatoes, and others.
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