We are all familiar with genetically engineered foods. What we may not know is that plants have been tinkere with for about as long as science has
been around. Remember
Gregor Mendel??
Nowadays technology is making plants do things that nature never intended. It seems this may all benign to us now. We will not know what evolution
will do with these engineered plants.
• The UN has approved use of genetically engineered trees that take in more carbon than normal trees, and so help to offset industrial
emissions.
• Hawaiian officials have approved pest-resistant papaya trees in response to infestations that nearly wiped out native populations. The new class of
trees has already provided a critical economic boost.
• The Department of Defense has ordered research into arboreal warning systems - for instance, trees with foliage designed to change color in reaction
to a biochemical attack.
Trees, the ultimate survivalists, will express only those genes that are necessary for their longevity. "When they escape, the [new genetic
material] may act differently or it may not express at all," says Jim Hemrick, a tree-genetics expert at the University of Georgia in
Athens.
A very interesting and thought-provoking topic
More info:
www.organicconsumers.org...
www.organicconsumers.org...
[edit on 29-11-2004 by DontTreadOnMe]
