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When you begin to interrogate the origins and history of everyday things, you’ll quickly notice how “New” and tailored to extremely modern humanity it is. Broc
by AndrewKemendo 3y ago
When you begin to interrogate the origins and history of everyday things, you’ll quickly notice how “New” and tailored to extremely modern humanity it is.
Broccoli for example is only about 2000 years old via an aggressive selective breeding of mustard/brassica, and no modern grain genetics are more than a few thousand years old with the last known distinct genetics being only 12000 years old.
The Anthropocene is everywhere you look when you start really looking
- darkwater 3y agoBut then people scream "GMOs are not natural!"
- kibwen 3y agoIt's fun to refer to selective breeding as "artisanal genetic engineering".
- darkwater 3y agoIt's fun but it's also true
- red-iron-pine 3y agoStrictly speaking, those are genetically modified -- just a lot slower -- and through selection, not CRISPR
- ClumsyPilot 3y agobasically patentability of food is a huge problem, I do not think you should be allowed to use state violence to prevent someone from growing sustenance
- otabdeveloper4 3y agoPeople care about GMOs because of corporate control inherent in the concept, not because it's "engineering". If regular people could make GMO crops in their back yard then nobody would have a problem with it.
- jrajav 3y agoThat's an especially nuanced take, to the point that it's the first time I've even encountered it. Nearly everyone I've met against GMOs seems to think the problem is that they're creating some kind of mutant plant that lacks "natural" elements, and will surely give us cancer. Of course there's anti-corporate sentiment but something is lost in the telephone game for many.
- jandrese 3y agoCertainly you've heard complaints about "terminator" seeds through? That is just one aspect of the fight against corporate GMO practices.
- dabluecaboose 3y agoIt's pretty nuts to look at Teosinte, the grass that was bred into corn/maize, and seeing how it compares to modern giant hulking ears of corn that we use for everything from fueling cars to sugaring drinks.
- RandallBrown 3y agoI love that broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccolini, and way more are all the same plant. It's like how poodles, corgis, Great Danes, and dachshunds are all just dogs. It blows a lot of people's minds when I tell them.