General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRegulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops
http://independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/regulators-discover-a-hidden-viral-gene-in-commercial-gmo-crops/Is There a Direct Human Toxicity Issue?
When Gene VI is intentionally expressed in transgenic plants, it causes them to become chlorotic (yellow), to have growth deformities, and to have reduced fertility in a dose-dependent manner (Ziljstra et al 1996). Plants expressing Gene VI also show gene expression abnormalities. These results indicate that, not unexpectedly given its known functions, the protein produced by Gene VI is functioning as a toxin and is harmful to plants (Takahashi et al 1989). Since the known targets of Gene VI activity (ribosomes and gene silencing) are also found in human cells, a reasonable concern is that the protein produced by Gene VI might be a human toxin. This is a question that can only be answered by future experiments.
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What Regulators Should Do Now
This summary of the scientific risk issues shows that a segment of a poorly characterized viral gene never subjected to any risk assessment (until now) was allowed onto the market. This gene is currently present in commercial crops and growing on a large scale. It is also widespread in the food supply.
Even now that EFSAs own researchers have belatedly considered the risk issues, no one can say whether the public has been harmed, though harm appears a clear scientific possibility. Considered from the perspective of professional and scientific risk assessment, this situation represents a complete and catastrophic system failure.
SamKnause
(13,107 posts)Is anyone surprised ?
Minimal corporate driven, or backed research is never a good thing.
Many of our top universities now have professors that are bought and paid for by corporations.
Greed and corruption are destroying this country from the inside out.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022243841
and this one particularly discounted the fear being generated by this "discovery"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112735787
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)feel hesitation to repeat links and potentially educate people?
You do a great service for somebody, I'm sure.
Buzz Clik
(38,437 posts)I'm glad you understand. It's really annoying when people a) pay no attention to what they are posting and put up really old material and b) try to dredge up old arguments by posting stuff that has been heavily and intelligently discussed many times before.
Glad to be of service!
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Since they didn't want to do a recall of all GMO-containing products and refuse imports, they are taking a wait and see approach to see how many deaths or illnesses this may cause. That is in Europe which has far less GMOs than we do. But what if it takes a decade or two for these illnesses to show up? By then it's rampant across the population and a possible health crisis that we cannot even imagine.
Where is the interest in public health over profit? Where is the TESTING not by bought off scientists? We are killing ourselves and our planet. Good news for Gaia, the GMOs might do us in first.
sigmasix
(794 posts)When GMO conglomerates screw around with the building blocks of our food, it isnt good news.
Remember who owns the these criminally wealthy frankenfood industries? Do you think they would have any moral qualms about destroying every other source for food on the planet in the never-ending search for market monopolization and manipulation of hunger-driven populations. The monsatos and other frankenfood firms are willing to destroy the world's supply of food just so thier industry can dominate the most important impediment to peace; hunger. The GMOs are designed to overwhelm the non-gmo products and insert genetic material from the gmo into the classic, non gmos so that the criminally wealthy class can claim they own the very idea of corn and beets, modified to create it's own niches from which to spread the gmo changes to the plant.
The criminally wealthy have always used manipulation of food as a controlling agent against the masses- GMOs are simply perfecting the work begun by the last century's criminally wealthy- if you can control who gets food and water, you can also convince people how to vote.
It seems like the one constant through-out the frankenfood discussion is power over life and death of our species through unfairness within the market itself.
The new Republican/Fox "news" party has become the posterboy for GMOs because of the type of control over food it represents. The right wing has been telling America for years that If they dont get everything they want they will burn it all down. GMOs are just another way for the criminally wealthy class to control all of us little people.