The Big Picture: Feeding Edge

[Bombastuss]

Thank you Bob, that was awesome.
I've never known the specifics about it but I never once thought that genetically engineering food sounded bad.

 

[InevitableFate]

Purple carrots look awesome...

 

[littlerudi08107]

My concern isn't the genetic engineering of food, but the amount of preservatives that are put in most foods that people consume today. You hardly get any nutrition from it because it needs to retain its shelf-life.

 

[Hippobatman]

The breeding thing I already knew, but the carrots, that I didn't. Thanks, Bob.

There's a food shortage in the world, and there will probably come a time where we all must be as efficient with food production as possible. Therefore, geneteic engineering is a good thing.

Gotta love science.

 

[deonte9109]

...The more you know.

OT: Although it was short it did hit the mark. I swear that the major news networks get together like every month to discuss the next big "mass scare" with various segments of the food, health, and security industries.

 

[geierkreisen]

You may think Star Trek, I think Dune.
You may think "for the good of mankind", I think "for the good of the monopolist".

It's not really a scientific problem, it's an economical and social one.
While a farming dynasty can, say, breed the perfect sheep for their benefit, Monsanto and others genetically engineer crop and vegetables to dominate the market.
They even go so far as to "unsex" plants so that they don't produce new seeds which have to be bought for a hefty price every damned year again and sustainability and independence go overboard.

I only fear the day when Monsanto's Sardaukar-crops have eliminated all and every "organic" AKA traditional alternative and some African farmers have to go Fremen on His Imperial Highness' corporate ass.

 

[dragontiers]

Edit: What was that screen shot of The Princess' Bride at 1:25 about?

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I'm guessing he was referencing that quote. I would have tried to get a clip from the cliff scene to make it more obvious, but hey, joke made.

OT: I am constantly getting into arguments about this and organic food with family members. It's all pretty silly once you boil it down.

 

[Fuhjem]

Thank you, Bob. Glad I payed attention in Biology.

 

[Sonority]

But.... I would like to express my fear of the "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"!!

They are real people, they made a movie about it!!! So it must be real!

link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebfLWAB8bY4

 

[KefkaCultist]

Good show, too bad most of the people on The Escapist are logically sound. If only you could get this onto Oprah or Dr. Phil, thats where all the stupid people that need to here this reside

 

[The Stonker]

Yay! We (dutch) made carrots! Also: BEWARE! Be nice to us or we'll make all foods orange!

Be nice to us or we'll send Bear cavalry.

 

[MaxFan]

So far I'm supposed to have died from the Bird Flu, the Swine Flu, Frankenfood, and probably dozens of others the media didn't do a good enough job trying to scare people for me to remember.

 

[Sepiida]

First of all allow me to say that I completely agree with everything stated in this video. That being said:

While you're certainly correct that a large part of the controversy of GM crops is just ignorant fear-mongering your comparison with traditional farming isn't quite spot on. A big issue many people have is that agribusiness is taking traits from other species and splicing them into foods that said traits have never evolved in. Now that sounds a lot worse than it actually is but there is still some cause for concern. GM is still a technology in its infancy and we still don't have a good idea about what a lot of genes do or how they interact with one another. So yes, there is plenty of idiocy within the GM foods controversy but there is also a sliver of sense.

 

[unacomn]

I've never heard the term Frankenfood before.

The reason some people are scared of genetically engineered food is that, well, sometimes it's done not for better food, but for more food. In theory that's not a bad thing, even in practice that's a good thing.
But in some areas of the world, where, well, let's say there's no FDA-like entity, and morals are, well, they aren't, and people with money give money to people with knowledge so they can make more money, well there may be some mistakes in there somewhere. Mistakes can sometimes be harmful.

 

[theultimateend]

Apples and Oranges here.

Your original example is of genetic alterations that could happen naturally.

Your second example is using techniques to create outcomes that could never happen in the natural world no matter how much a horse and a cow have sex.

Creating crops that produce their own insecticides (very powerful ones) is a bad idea. It creates shitty food and doesn't stop the insects.

So yeah, fun story, but comparing apples to oranges makes the rest of your point pretty weak.

Keep in mind, I love science (and your videos), but at least understand the topic enough to recognize the differences before you make a video about it :/.

PS. I think the word that sprung to my mind watching that video was "Pedantry".

 

[A Pious Cultist]

GM is still a technology in its infancy and we still don't have a good idea about what a lot of genes do or how they interact with one another. So yes, there is plenty of idiocy within the GM foods controversy but there is also a sliver of sense.

We don't tend to actually mass produce food with altered genes that we arn't sure about though.

 

[theultimateend]

GM is still a technology in its infancy and we still don't have a good idea about what a lot of genes do or how they interact with one another. So yes, there is plenty of idiocy within the GM foods controversy but there is also a sliver of sense.

We don't tend to actually mass produce food with altered genes that we arn't sure about though.

Generally speaking when a factory farm gets it's hands on something that works it starts using it wildly without giving a shit to get studies done.

Look at antibiotics and cattle.

I'm actually curious how many super bugs have been created just by our wanton misuse of things that would otherwise be quite wonderful.

Extra note on my original post: I'm for Genetic Engineering, I just think Monsanto and companies like it (IE basically just it) are not good choices to be performing it. When you hand very powerful science to stupid people with money you end up with cows stuffed full of antibiotics even when they aren't sick.