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Atomic Veggies: The Other Type of GMO

34 points by slaskow 11y ago

arca_vorago 11y ago
This is a fascinating idea I hadn't heard of before. Given that my main trepidation with GMO is the lack of long term testing, I'm wondering scientifically if naturally mutated dna via radiation is safer long term than our relatively primitive (but quickly improving) methods for direct modification. Gold guns are so destructive.
- mojoe 11y ago
  I would bet that mutated plants created via this "atomic" method are statistically much safer than GMO plants, in the sense that it's much more likely to have unintended consequences with GMO plants. For instance, when BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) genes were first added to corn for their insecticidal properties, nobody realized that large numbers of monarch butterflies would be killed by corn pollen, but it happened. This type of consequence would be very unlikely with induced-mutation plants. On the flip side, you can generally get much more pronounced results with GMOs. It's like the difference between a bow and arrow and a machine gun -- the machine gun is more effective, but easier to kill yourself with.
- dragonwriter 11y ago
  > I'm wondering scientifically if naturally mutated dna via radiation is safer long term than our relatively primitive (but quickly improving) methods for direct modification. As I understand it, probably not: With "direct modification" GMOs, we usually have a very good idea of the direct change, though there may be unforeseen effects of that change (as mojoe points to regarding butterflies.) With mutation breeding (which isn't all just radiation, there are also chemical mutagens used), you have less knowledge of even what the direct changes are, and the same problem with potential unforeseen effects of even the known direct changes.
- gtremper 11y ago
  It seems like direct modification would be safer than natural mutation since we know exactly what changed with direct modification.
schoen 11y ago
A different piece about this topic on HN two months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9408350 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9408350

34 points by slaskow 11y ago

This is a fascinating idea I hadn't heard of before. Given that my main trepidation with GMO is the lack of long term testing, I'm wondering scientifically if naturally mutated dna via radiation is safer long term than our relatively primitive (but quickly improving) methods for direct modification. Gold guns are so destructive.

mojoe 11y ago
I would bet that mutated plants created via this "atomic" method are statistically much safer than GMO plants, in the sense that it's much more likely to have unintended consequences with GMO plants. For instance, when BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) genes were first added to corn for their insecticidal properties, nobody realized that large numbers of monarch butterflies would be killed by corn pollen, but it happened. This type of consequence would be very unlikely with induced-mutation plants. On the flip side, you can generally get much more pronounced results with GMOs. It's like the difference between a bow and arrow and a machine gun -- the machine gun is more effective, but easier to kill yourself with.
dragonwriter 11y ago
> I'm wondering scientifically if naturally mutated dna via radiation is safer long term than our relatively primitive (but quickly improving) methods for direct modification. As I understand it, probably not: With "direct modification" GMOs, we usually have a very good idea of the direct change, though there may be unforeseen effects of that change (as mojoe points to regarding butterflies.) With mutation breeding (which isn't all just radiation, there are also chemical mutagens used), you have less knowledge of even what the direct changes are, and the same problem with potential unforeseen effects of even the known direct changes.
gtremper 11y ago
It seems like direct modification would be safer than natural mutation since we know exactly what changed with direct modification.

schoen 11y ago

A different piece about this topic on HN two months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9408350 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9408350