Genetically modified foods: a good thing

[Kritish]

There’s a lot of people *****ing about genetically modified foods at the moment. I know quite a few of them and they either think its wrong or its somehow going to kill us all. There’s a over looked fact that they are either too ignorant to understand or just don’t like… humans have used selective breeding on flora and fauna ever since we figured out we could. Do you think cows evolved as stupid animals with lots of fat and good meat? The wild almond is toxic yet humans figured out how to breed that gene out by breeding trees with mutations in them that didn’t make them toxic. The fact is that genetic engineering is just a quicker way of doing this, it takes a scientist a few weeks to do this instead of a farmer thousands of years.
But the funniest thing is that a lot of people that are against this are the same people that support lending a hand to the starving people of Africa. How do you think all of those starving children are going to feel about corn that grows in the Sudan?
Contrary to what you might think this isn’t a thread about me telling you why your opinion is wrong (even I’m not that narcissistic). This is a poll on your stance on it…

 

[Colossal Spoons]

We all know how I feel based off of my post in the Hype Anarchy thread. Let's Go GMO!

 

[Kritish]

Potential benefits

Crops
Enhanced taste and quality
Reduced maturation time
Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
Increased resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
New products and growing techniques

Animals
Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
Improved animal health and diagnostic methods

Environment
"Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
Conservation of soil, water, and energy
Bioprocessing for forestry products
Better natural waste management
More efficient processing

 

[ang_hulk]

adding chemicals to foods is a bad thing.messing with a corn stalks genetiv structure to produce bigger more durable corn isnt.

 

[Kritish]

adding chemicals to foods is a bad thing.messing with a corn stalks genetiv structure to produce bigger more durable corn isnt.

You need to learn to spell genetic before you can bash it.

 

[SuperFerret]

There's a difference between selective breeding and genetic engineering. The former is forcing evolution down a more favorable path, while the latter involves mucking around in what is mostly unmarked territory for the purpose of creating an artificial species.

 

[Kritish]

There's a difference between selective breeding and genetic engineering. The former is forcing evolution down a more favorable path, while the latter involves mucking around in what is mostly unmarked territory for the purpose of creating an artificial species.

We've created artifical species types all the time...

 

[SuperFerret]

We've created artifical species types all the time...

Yes, those are species humans have 'created' but it was done naturally via selective breeding. Yet, if you want to go with that example, then I can play that game too. That big dog likely won't live for more than 7-8 years due to it's size and the amount of health problems associated with it. Hip displaysia, heart problems, seizures, all these plague large breed dogs. Small dogs don't get off lightly either, luxating patellas (a disorder where their kneecaps dislocate themselves) occurs commonly. Some dog breeds have the predisposition for blindness, deafness, breathing problems, lameness, skin problems, and many other health problems. So, selective breeding isn't the best way to go either, but it is a natural process (although the guidance and selection processes for the breeding is highly questionable at times).

Genetic engineering has the same motivations behind it as selective breeding, which is driven by the desire to make things better for us, with utter disregard to the creature that results from our meddling. The only (and major) difference is with genetic engineering, humans are playing with the so-called 'building blocks' of an organism, which may have the consequences of completely bypassing anything preventing detrimental situations from arising in natural evolution that normally wouldn't (and shouldn't) occur.

 

[Speedball]

Don't see how it's bad.
It's doing more good than harm, though it may be against God's will. But...Why can we do these things if he didn't want us too?

 

[psychocheeseman]

I don't think you did your research properly on current trends in genetically modified foods.

As it stands the genetically modified foods are generally modified to withstand more pesticides to counter the growing number of pests that have become immune to low levels of pesticides. Also, in order to protect patents and increase profits, many GM crops will not produce ofspring, forcing farmers to continue purchasing new seeds to grow new plants along with the excessive amounts of pesticides. Furthermore, there is always a chance that some strains may produce offspring, perhaps better able to take advantage of that niche where grown, causeing the crops to spread, like a pest destroying native flora in its path (I have personally seen the start of such events near Hillstone NSW) and we all know how devastating a monoculture ecosystem can be.

In theory GM foods do not seem such a bad idea (although alittle pointless) However, in practice it is not needed, it exploits farmers and the poor, and is a danger to our ecosystems.

 

[LexLuthor]

Potential benefits

Crops
Enhanced taste and quality
Reduced maturation time
Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
Increased resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides
New products and growing techniques

Animals
Increased resistance, productivity, hardiness, and feed efficiency
Better yields of meat, eggs, and milk
Improved animal health and diagnostic methods

Environment
"Friendly" bioherbicides and bioinsecticides
Conservation of soil, water, and energy
Bioprocessing for forestry products
Better natural waste management
More efficient processing

After watching these, I beg to differ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxKnys7Ryw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRiH_Owq9U&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8U9dw

Many human beings are facing more cancers, heart disease, and kids are becoming more obese. There are more and more children being born with autism. So, no...I can't say that tampering with food is a good thing. Initially, maybe it was. But, it's gone so far off base.

 

[Hades]

It seems alot harder to get a hold of natural food too, nowadays.

Bloody annoying.

 

[PLAS]

It seems alot harder to get a hold of natural food too, nowadays.

Bloody annoying.

it's easy if you know where to look

 

[Kaboom]

is there any type of genetically engineered food that will let me crawl on walls, shoot webs from my wrists and give super strength?

 

[sassycat]

I like to grow my own

 

[PLAS]

is there any type of genetically engineered food that will let me crawl on walls, shoot webs from my wrists and give super strength?

you could start with LSD

 

[Ghostvirus]

I could really care less. I live in a Country where food is everywhere. I do think that Genetically Made Food would be a no lose situation for third world countries.

 

[Sandman138]

I don't think introducing an invasive species that promotes a monoculture into a delicate ecosystem is a good idea.

 

[Calvin]

Give me an inner skinless orange and I'll be happy.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Yup, still in favor

 

[ang_hulk]

dunno where my post went....anyways.Food with heavy modifications(alot of chemicals) taste different,somtimes to an extreme extent.Im only for making somthing better without chemicals.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

The modifications were talking about here are on the genetic level. Like adding/subtracting genes. If you can taste a diff in genes; then you need to be in Area 51.

 

[Kaboom]

ive always wanted to go to area 51.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Same here man

 

[AndThePickles]

I'm def in favor of it.