Genetically Modified Food

[Tigger113]

Hi! My daughter is doing a research topic on genetically modified foods and I was wondering if you knew any good info that would be good to include in a paper or a website?
Thanks!

 

[gina2000]

The New York Times online archives has a wealth of information on the subject.




http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine/

Go to archives and type in Monsanto genetically engineered food and you'll get a ton of hits. Go to the NY Times Magaazine section and you'll get a ton in depth stories concerning GM foods.

 

[jekajekalynn]

Wasn't some scientists trying to make pork with antioxidents in it? I heard some scientists were also making actual green ham from pigs to use in cultures.

 

[Tigger113]

bump......

 

[chobie]

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html

 

[bicker]

Be careful with that last link. It is a significantly biased source of information. Your daughter was charged with doing a research topic on genetically modified foods, not writing an opinion piece. Part of scientific research is being sure that your sources are unbiased, so your conclusions are based on valid assumptions.

Here's a link to a government website which presents a balanced view of genetically-modified food:

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml

This is probably a great outline for the report:

[size=+2]Benefits [/size]

• Crops
  • Enhanced taste and quality
  • Reduced maturation time
  • Increased nutrients, yields, and stress tolerance
  • Improved 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
• Society
  
  • Increased food security for growing populations

[size=+2] Controversies [/size]

• Safety
  • Potential human health impact: allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects Potential environmental impact: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity
• Access and Intellectual Property
  
  • Domination of world food production by a few companies
  • Increasing dependence on Industralized nations by developing countries
  • Biopiracy—foreign exploitation of natural resources
• Ethics
  
  • Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values
  • Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species
  • Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa
  • Stress for animal
• Labeling
  
  • Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
  • Mixing GM crops with non-GM confounds labeling attempts
• Society
  
  • New advances may be skewed to interests of rich countries

 

[chobie]

Yes, if its from the government it must be "balanced". I did a research project on this topic myself and used links from that site and Monsantosucks as well as books, articles, AND government sources and I got an A. My report was balanced but not all my sources were.

If nothing else it will give her some more in depth understanding of the "controversies" of gm foods.

To be fair my report was not for a science class but I did have to present all sides of the issue. One can argue whether or not the companies that produce and stand to make millions off the gm foods are going to have unbiased reports about the safety.

 

[bicker]

Can you point to anything in the link I posted that you consider biased?

Countrary to popular opinion, the government is not out to get you!

 

[chobie]

Can you point to anything in the link I posted that you consider biased?

Countrary to popular opinion, the government is not out to get you!

I didn't say they were out to get me. However, you feel free to trust everything that the govenment tells you. And there are links to articles that are not from biased sources on MY link.

 

[bicker]

However, you feel free to trust everyting that govenment tells you.

It's not a matter of trusting everything that they tell us, but rather to trust what they tell us over the rantings of a radical rag like OCA.

And there are links to articles that are not from biased sources on that link.

(I thought you were referring to the government website link I posted...) The government website includes a link to ENN, which is actually a left-leaning source. So the government website has links to sources from both sides of the issue, as well as other balanced, scientific information -- that's why it is a balanced source of information.

(You then edited what you wrote to clarify...)

And there are links to articles that are not from biased sources on MY link.

So your link has left-wing and balanced sources, while my link has left-wing, right-wing and balanced sources. So please help me understand why you believe your link is more balanced?

<plonk>

 

[chobie]

It's not a matter of trusting everything that they tell us, but rather to trust what they tell us over the rantings of a radical rag like OCA.

Including a link to ENN, which is actually a left-leaning source. So the government website has links to sources from both sides of the issue -- that's why it is a balanced source of information.

So your link has left-wing and balanced sources, while my link has left-wing, right-wing and balanced sources. So please help me understand why you believe your link is more balanced?

<plonk>

Well depending on what the class is and what exactly her project is she might need to have some unbalanced information on both sides of the issue, which is what I used, along with that goverment site you listed. I was not to give an opinion either way but to present both sides of a controversial issue.
Of course some people think all the media is "liberal" and biased.

 

[chobie]

So your link has left-wing and balanced sources, while my link has left-wing, right-wing and balanced sources. So please help me understand why you believe your link is more balanced?

<plonk>

Where did I say mine was MORE balanced? You posted a link, I posted a link. This student is probably more than qualified to figure out what she will need to include in her report based on the specific details of the assingment.

So, let's stop highjacking this thread shall we?

My project was for a class about global issues. Again it was not a science project. If my information is not helpful, she should disregard it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I cannot give you links but having a BS in Agriculture, I do know that all food, trees, grasses, flowers, etc.... is genetically modified to some degree. It is a matter of picking and choosing. It began to control disease/insects in a monoculture.

Think of it as "Dog Breeding", in a sense.

The biggest one is corn. Who was it? Mendel began modifying it to figure out DNA, I do believe. Of course I haven't been in school for 20+ yrs...so cut me a break.

Oh and I am not getting in the middle of the arguement because I have no idea what you guys are debating.

 

[chobie]

I cannot give you links but having a BS in Agriculture, I do know that all food, trees, grasses, flowers, etc.... is genetically modified to some degree. It is a matter of picking and choosing. It began to control disease/insects in a monoculture.

Think of it as "Dog Breeding", in a sense.

The biggest one is corn. Who was it? Mendel began modifying it to figure out DNA, I do believe. Of course I haven't been in school for 20+ yrs...so cut me a break.

Oh and I am not getting in the middle of the arguement because I have no idea what you guys are debating.

We're not debating. We're giving someone information sources about the subject. Now go eat your franken foods and drink your homone infested milk.

 

[hucifer]

Now go eat your franken foods and drink your homone infested milk.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We're not debating. We're giving someone information sources about the subject. Now go eat your franken foods and drink your homone infested milk.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

We're not debating. We're giving someone information sources about the subject. Now go eat your franken foods and drink your homone infested milk.

I prefer the ones with the little pink marshmellows.