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> Other mooted uses for the technology include [..] creating crops resistant to diseases so farmers can use fewer pesticides, which have been linked to insect d

> Other mooted uses for the technology include [..] creating crops resistant to diseases so farmers can use fewer pesticides, which have been linked to insect declines. Odd the article does not mention that so far, the technology has been used in the exact opposite way - creating crops resistant to pesticides, so more could be sprayed [1]. All the wonderful genetic modifications trotted out in articles like these ignore that the companies making those modifications are profit-maximizing sociopaths (that will do their best to make your food chain dependent on them). Rather than turning tomatoes into a vitamin-enriched healthy food, they will turn it into the vegetable equivalent of a snickers bar. The technology may hold promise, but the business incentives make me shudder. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_Ready

belter 4y ago
Promise and many risks... "Broadening the GMO risk assessment in the EU for genome editing technologies in agriculture": https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-020-00361-2 https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-0... [PDF]: https://enveurope.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12302-020-00361-2.pdf https://enveurope.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12302-... "...Genome editing techniques, especially the CRISPR/Cas technology, increase the possibilities and the speed of altering genetic material in organisms. So-called genome editing is increasingly being used to achieve agriculturally relevant novel traits and/or genetic combinations in both plants and animals, although predominantly as proof of concept studies, with commercial growing or rearing so far limited to the U.S. and Canada... ...However, there are numerous reports of unintended effects such as off-target effects, unintended on-target effects and other unintended consequences arising from genome editing, summarised under the term genomic irregularities... ...Despite this, the searching for genomic irregularities is far from routine in these studies and protocols vary widely, particularly for off-target effects, leading to differences in the efficacy of detection of off-target effects..."
lithos 4y ago
Honestly tomatoes gene edited with natural pesticides like caffeine (from coffee) or Caspian (from jalapeno) sounds like an amazing niche in the market. (Spicy tomato sounds good). Especially considering that the genes for both of those natural pesticides are probably already mapped.

belter 4y ago

Promise and many risks... "Broadening the GMO risk assessment in the EU for genome editing technologies in agriculture": https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-020-00361-2 https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-0... [PDF]: https://enveurope.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12302-020-00361-2.pdf https://enveurope.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12302-... "...Genome editing techniques, especially the CRISPR/Cas technology, increase the possibilities and the speed of altering genetic material in organisms. So-called genome editing is increasingly being used to achieve agriculturally relevant novel traits and/or genetic combinations in both plants and animals, although predominantly as proof of concept studies, with commercial growing or rearing so far limited to the U.S. and Canada... ...However, there are numerous reports of unintended effects such as off-target effects, unintended on-target effects and other unintended consequences arising from genome editing, summarised under the term genomic irregularities... ...Despite this, the searching for genomic irregularities is far from routine in these studies and protocols vary widely, particularly for off-target effects, leading to differences in the efficacy of detection of off-target effects..."

lithos 4y ago

Honestly tomatoes gene edited with natural pesticides like caffeine (from coffee) or Caspian (from jalapeno) sounds like an amazing niche in the market. (Spicy tomato sounds good). Especially considering that the genes for both of those natural pesticides are probably already mapped.