I can't look at the purple carrot and imagine it tastes like a carrot and not like a beet.
I am a weak urban failure of a man.
I am a weak urban failure of a man.
The Big Picture: Feeding Edge
- Thread starter MovieBob
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Wow Moviebob, way to undermine the dangers of GMOs. This is (by far) the worst video you've put out as far as accuracy is concerned. Genetically modified food is extremely different from selective breeding: You cannot ever put fish genes into strawberries in nature, that can only be done in a lab. Or virus DNA into a soybean. Not to mention the fact that laws on GMOs are completely slanted in the favor of large food corps like Monsantos and leave small farmers (a practically endangered breed themselves) to wilt under the weight of looming lawsuits if their crops happen to become cross-contaminated with GMO DNA (which happens frequently because GMOs are bred to be hardy and grow quickly). You didn't even bother to mention the problems of things like pork being crossed with human DNA for a leaner bacon or that genetically modified organisms can greatly harm the natural environment in the same way that cane toads did for Australia... I don't know what you were thinking, but I can't even begin to explain how disgusted I am with you. I thought you were using your nerd powers for good (lamenting the lost space program, drawing similarities between otherwise opposed social groups such as nerds and sports fanatics, even explaining comics for the non-comic book loving people out there), but this is just completely over simplified bullsh*t. You're concern is the scare tactics of GMOs by the natural food movement or 'Frankenfood' verbage? Well congrats, you've done nothing but join the other end: the food lobbyists, the corporate bullies and the scientist that won't curtail releasing new organisms without proper long term testing for fear of lost funding.
Just stick to the movie critiques; you're really, really good at it and it doesn't take much in the way of research. You're like a pretty girl who isn't very bright... Stick with your strengths (and marry a rich man while you're young).
Just stick to the movie critiques; you're really, really good at it and it doesn't take much in the way of research. You're like a pretty girl who isn't very bright... Stick with your strengths (and marry a rich man while you're young).
eh selective breeding and genetically modified foods arent the same thing...
if it was as simple as 1 gene creating 1 protein, their would not even be an issue. Until we unlock what genes do what in what other, Id rather just continue to eat my selectively breed food.
if it was as simple as 1 gene creating 1 protein, their would not even be an issue. Until we unlock what genes do what in what other, Id rather just continue to eat my selectively breed food.
Uhm, srsly guys, this is pure trolling.
To equate selective breeding with genetic engeneering is smart if you are a PR drone but I really do not expect to see gen-science propaganda BS on the Escapist. Bob hit rock bottom with this one.
Breeding is something fundamentally different from manipulating genes directly. Did you know that? Yes? Then why do you try to make us believe otherwise? No? Then why didn't you read a bit about it before making this video?
/edit: After reading a few pages of comments I am genuinely shocked about how uninformed most comments are. They are mainly variations of "thank you for giving me a simplified explanation so I do not need to feel bad that the experts know so much more about the subject." Genetic engineering is something radically new. Yes, we can manipulate genes but we have almost no idea of the consequences. Scientists can engineer living organisms with properties that are unnatural. Some of these organisms are not viable, others are extremely dominant and can eliminate other species which cannot adapt to the man-made changes fast enough. GE has lots of implications most of which are not understood at all. To play these implications down is stupid and irresponsible.
To equate selective breeding with genetic engeneering is smart if you are a PR drone but I really do not expect to see gen-science propaganda BS on the Escapist. Bob hit rock bottom with this one.
Breeding is something fundamentally different from manipulating genes directly. Did you know that? Yes? Then why do you try to make us believe otherwise? No? Then why didn't you read a bit about it before making this video?
/edit: After reading a few pages of comments I am genuinely shocked about how uninformed most comments are. They are mainly variations of "thank you for giving me a simplified explanation so I do not need to feel bad that the experts know so much more about the subject." Genetic engineering is something radically new. Yes, we can manipulate genes but we have almost no idea of the consequences. Scientists can engineer living organisms with properties that are unnatural. Some of these organisms are not viable, others are extremely dominant and can eliminate other species which cannot adapt to the man-made changes fast enough. GE has lots of implications most of which are not understood at all. To play these implications down is stupid and irresponsible.
Dude, seriously? You decry Bob for oversimplying a complex issue, which is fine, but you do it arguing with a tone that implies you have all the info. Guess what? To me, a scientist actually in the field to genetic engineering, and a little into transgenic plant development, you look the same way. I don't have the time right now to counter all the wrong points in your reply (which are not all of them since several are quite valid), but I will say this: I don't like Monsanto too much, mostly because of how they negotiate and other business and political practices. They are like Wal-Mart in a certain way. Their science, however, is much more solid than what you've been allowed to know since a lot of the protocols are trade secrets. Do you actually know how long it takes from the idea of introducing x or y thing into a crop to it reaching the supermarket? It's about 9-11 years. The least. Most of that time is used in a lot of cycles of testing and selecting for normal growth, non-toxicity, pilot field tests, developing control and delivery methods to avoid unwanted spread and a LOT of other steps. Before you go out and say that "Monsanto and allies" have no controls and do no testing please familiarize yourself with the actual process of creating GM crops. It takes LONGER than developing pharmaceuticals, and you know, it's not regulated by the FDA. The department of agriculture is in charge of that.keserak said:
Also, interest in profit goes both ways on the benefit scale. You think they skimp on controls and tests, etc, etc, to cut down costs? It is also in their interest NOT to skimp on this, since any slip up opens the door to huge legal backlash in lawsuits, loss of patents and HUGE economical set backs.
The whole suicide-seed is a horrible business. Not all GM companies work that way. Stop with the generalizations because you end up glossing over the actual complexities just as you accuse Bob of doing.
EDIT: oops...my bad. FDA is kind of somewhere in there, but the Agriculture department also handles it. Just checked. Apparently it's waaaay more paperwork than I thought. You people in the US have too much jumping through hoops sometimes. Although, in this case, it means more people have to agree to let a product out into the market. Again, politics are the main issue here, not the biology.
The scare isn't about people dying from GM vegetables. It's the lack of testing done to ensure that the GM round-up resistent vegetables don't pass their round-up resistence to normal weeds. Which would cause serious problems.
No there isn't any sense in the GM food controversy the folks that oppose GM foods are using scare tactics and false information. Without GM foods the worlds organic supply can only feed 4 billion people. There are roughly 7 billion people on the planet; which 3 billion do folks think should starve? Me not a god dang one bring on the GM foods!Sepiida said:
HOLY SHIT! that's a blast from the past! wow i completely forgot that show existed, i wish i could remember more of it than the 2 sec blurb from the theme song you just conjured up for me.Pariahwulfen said:
*EDIT* btw i'm remembering a cartoon, i guess it was a movie at some point too?
Its like everyone saw that one episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog and took it as fact.
You know, the one where they're in the dome and all the food comes to life and tries to eat them. Good episode.
Still, nice video. It'd be nice if more people saw it. But since it makes some sense it'll be ignored by the general public.
You know, the one where they're in the dome and all the food comes to life and tries to eat them. Good episode.
Still, nice video. It'd be nice if more people saw it. But since it makes some sense it'll be ignored by the general public.
Hmmm...think about this for a second. If the plant can't make seeds it's because its reproduction cycle is truncated. Therefore, how could it breed with a wild type plant? Or, if it did, how would it poison and destroy the rest of that wild type population? There would be no offspring and therefore no continued effect. It would all stop after one round of crossing.wasalp said:
For example, there are factories (yes, factories) that produce sterile flies to control (not obliterate) certain pests. They have to keep making them since nature will easily walk by past any dead end organism that can't breed. The wild type population continues to grow and reproduce, just a minor part of it will breed with sterile flies. The ones that don't will maintain the population.
Why has no one yet pointed out that the story about orange carrots and William of orange is not true? see here:
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html
I hate it when people continue to perpetuate these popular historical myths.
http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/history.html
I hate it when people continue to perpetuate these popular historical myths.
This was kind of oversimplifying things, if you want a more detailed look into the benefits of genetically engineered food I suggest looking up some of Norman Borlaug's analysis. The man definitely knows what he's talking about, what with creating the Green Revolution and what-not.
He actually earned his Nobel Prize, which is more then I can say for certain other people haha.
He actually earned his Nobel Prize, which is more then I can say for certain other people haha.
Because you heard the arguments from both sides and the hippies in greenpeace have no idea what they are talking about, whether it is genetics or agriculture. Besides when did Greenpeace save a billion people from starvation? Hint: It never did, that was Dr. Norman Borlaug who introduced new strains of wheat, rice, and other agricultural technologies to other parts of the world. If your going to bed with full bellies you have no right to protest GM foods. Oh and you spelled important and corporations wrong, bub.McShizzle said:
his rant about Frankenstein went to far and used far to many generalizations. In reality whenever someone uses the word frankenfood they probably have no idea what frankenfood even means other than franken = bad. The beast in the original book is far more gruesome far more evil and far more dangerous than what was explained in this episode. To clarify the entire reanimation idea is only one avenue by witch Frankenstein's monster could have been created, because by the descriptions in the book they are made so general that it could have been a being made from scratch like a robot, or a baby in a mechanical womb. The entire idea of the book was not that tampering with nature is scary, but that tampering with nature is like playing the cosmic lottery with other people's lives in the name of knowledge and that in return all you get is suffering. This is shown by the comparison between Dr. Frankenstein and the ship captain who finds him at the grips of death, while the ship captain try's to discover the north pole. Most of the book was designed to indicate that people are meant to be born and die and that tampering with this fact by adding people being created by a whole new option leaves a whole plethora of problems and questions the likes of witch would shatter our would as we know it.