'Gene drive': Scientists sound alarm over supercharged GM organisms...

'Gene drive': Scientists sound alarm over supercharged GM organisms which could spread in the wild and cause environmental disasters

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powerful new technique for generating “supercharged” genetically modified organisms that can spread rapidly in the wild has caused alarm among scientists who fear that it may be misused, accidentally or deliberately, and cause a health emergency or environmental disaster....

...“Just as gene drives can make mosquitoes unfit for hosting and spreading the malaria parasite, they could conceivably be designed with gene drives carrying cargo for delivering lethal bacterial toxins to humans,” said David Gurwitz, a geneticist at Tel Aviv University in Israel.

What the eff. I have always been a support of GM crops as I believe they help feed the world, but this does scare me. Not because of the gene manipulation, but just because of the inexplicable human ability to turn anything into a weapon...

This could turn the world upside down. All it would have to do, is effect just the pollinating insects. and all of sudden No food for the next season. I believe that GMO if used correctly may be beneficial, but as it is being used right now, no. Some GMO's are planted right next to a field of non GMO food, that is very risky. And the amount of lobbying done for GMO's is absurd. If GMO's were that great, the public would be supporting them without the need of a salesman.

a reply to: raymundoko

What the eff. I have always been a support of GM crops as I believe they help feed the world, but this does scare me.

I guess to will have to live with that. It's what you do from this point forward that really matters....

I am fine with genetic modification in terms of breeding, such as dogs, or crop selection as we have done with many vegetables and cereals.

I am totally against the modification were seeing now. It has the potential to change Eco systems permanantley. Something that we may not be able to reverse.

What's that boxes name called? Oh yea, pandora. Too bad it was opened long ago. Nothing much to do but get your freak on.

a reply to: raymundoko

I always feel the same when I see things like this. I think everything bad that can happen will eventually happen, we're morbidly curious as a species.

a reply to: raymundoko
I don't think this could be used as a weapon, it's too indescriminate. Take mosquitoes with malaria. They will bite poor people as well as rich people, military people as well as civilians.
What you really should be scared about is the proliferation of non-reproducable seeds. Yes, yes we've all heard the call"we've got to feed the masses" "we've got to feed the masses" BS.
A one time only seed(without producing next years seeds) is the ultimate doomsday scenario. Great for the companies with the patents, the farmer will HAVE TO buy their seeds every growing season. But what when(notice when not if) their seeds stocks fail! No more of that crop.
Whoops sorry I forgot about those secret seed banks that are being set up around the world. Now why would anyone do that? Please don't answer to protect the original, pristine seed line.

Read up about the time the world almost ended.

Real life doom porn.

What they discovered was not only startling, but terrifying--
the biotech industry had created a biological monster--a genetically
engineered microorganism that would kill all terrestrial plants.

online.sfsu.edu...

www.cracked.com...