To feed its 1.4 billion, China bets big on genome editing of crops

www.sciencemag.org...

Her team is one of 20 groups there seeking to use CRISPR to modify crop genes. “All the labs use CRISPR for basic research,” Gao says. “They cannot live without CRISPR.” China also expanded its efforts beyond its borders in 2017, when the state-owned company ChemChina bought Switzerland-based Syngenta—one of the world’s four largest agribusinesses, which has a large R&D team working with CRISPR—for $43 billion. That was the most China has ever spent on acquiring a foreign company, and it created an intimate relationship between government, industry, and academia...

shining science making things grow to help people?
or does this fall into the MST3K category of 'meddling in God's domain'?

I'm all in favor of more food but I fear the 'unintended consequences' part

and this being a conspiracy forum, would it be feasible for the Chinese to engineer a sterile wheat or corn and spread it in the West to cause famine?

I just don't know what this genetic engineering could bring about.

feedback welcome. tell me I'm worried bout nothin.

originally posted by: ElGoobero
and this being a conspiracy forum, would it be feasible for the Chinese to engineer a sterile wheat or corn and spread it in the West to cause famine?

I just don't know what this genetic engineering could bring about.

Monsanto already did that with their Terminator seeds. They were specifically modified so that you can't grow new crops from the seeds, as any seeds produced after the first crop are completely sterile. You have to just keep buying more seeds from Monsanto. They were even caught numerous times illegally smuggling and spreading Terminator seeds into countries where they were banned. It was blatantly obvious that this was an intentional effort to control the food supply and make money doing it.
So... If Monsanto did it, you can be damn sure China will too. The Chinese government loves being in control of everything.

I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

a reply to: ElGoobero

Vertical farming is the answer. Just look at the numbers:

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

a reply to: ElGoobero

Well, to play devil's advocate - it's better to have something to eat than to starve. Even if what you're eating is garbage and unhealthy, at least you can live a little longer to hopefully find something better to eat. Without any food your health will deteriorate extremely quickly in comparison.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

It depends on what part of the plant you're eating and if washing it can remove said chemicals. And even then because we don't actually have a way to test our food ourselves we have no idea what we're actually consuming. If you have a lab and equipment to test it knock yourself out but really I just eat food and don't worry about it - I know there's insecticides, herbicides, chemical pollution and even radioactive fallout on it. What can ya do though?

And here I thought the PRC was simply going to covet giant parts of Africa and use them as farmland in the effort to continue to sustain its 1.4 billion folks back home on the mainland...

a reply to: trollz

While I have absolutely no doubt Monsanto is motivated by money, it’s a good thing their crops are not able to reproduce.

I can imagine unintended consequences rendering a crop inedible or with little nutrition and then said crop growing out of control, perhaps even replacing normal crops outright.

Then again I’m no farmer/gardener, so maybe that’s not even possible.

OP - why would China want to "cause famine in the West"?

Are you mad?

This is 2019. The PRC isn't interested in doing something so malevolent and unnecessary.

Conventional war is bad enough - but deliberately thinking up ways to "starve" hundreds of millions of folks is bizarre.

You're basically in "the CIA created viruses in labs to kill off hundreds of millions of Black Africans" territory. Pie...in...the...sky.

originally posted by: muzzleflash

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

It depends on what part of the plant you're eating and if washing it can remove said chemicals

Is English your second language? The GMO plants are producing the insecticide in the cells of the plant. Just washing it removes what? Are you good at math?

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: muzzleflash

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

It depends on what part of the plant you're eating and if washing it can remove said chemicals

Is English your second language? The GMO plants are producing the insecticide in the cells of the plant. Just washing it removes what? Are you good at math?

Some of our food has insecticides sprayed on them.
I wasn't referring to only GMO foods with internal insecticides.

Please don't speak to me that way.
I respect others and so I expect to be respected.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

Is English your second language?
Usually when I refer to consuming plants I call it eating.
Why do you refer to it as drinking? Most people don't throw their food in a blender. They use their teeth to grind it.

Are you good at math?

Exceptionally good at it.
What does math have to do with grammar and syntax though?

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Spacespider
I rather have genome editing of crops then a poison sprayed all over them.

You do realize if the plant produces its own chemical insecticide you are essentially drinking insecticide?

the EPA has done studies showing that the Bt protein in GM plants behaves as would be expected for a dietary protein, is not structurally related to a known food allergen or protein toxin, and does not show toxicity when administered orally at high doses.

GMO is much much much better.. read this harward study if you like..
sitn.hms.harvard.edu...

a reply to: Spacespider

There are 3000 or so other studies proving the safety of GMO foods as well.

I recommend the Genetic Literacy Project for our readers.

a reply to: ElGoobero

This is probably how the zombie population starts. Not zombies like we see on TV, just brain dead but somewhat functional.

a reply to: ElGoobero


I'm a big time gardener. I can tell you hands down this is scary stuff.

If you don't believe me, do a little experiment.

Find someone in your area that has an heirloom plant.. let's say marigolds.
Now go to the store and buy marigold seeds.

Grow the two for a couple of years. That is all the convincing you'll ever need.

originally posted by: AnakinWayneII
And here I thought the PRC was simply going to covet giant parts of Africa and use them as farmland in the effort to continue to sustain its 1.4 billion folks back home on the mainland...

USSR used to take all the grain from the Ukraine, for Russia and for export (for currency, to prop up Cuba, etc). during WWII Ukraine and Russian farmers starved to death while growing all the food.

I can easily imagine PRC doing this in Africa. African soil and labor produces food to be eaten in China.
China's exploitation of Africa is a very underreported issue.

a reply to: trollz

They were specifically modified so that you can't grow new crops from the seeds, as any seeds produced after the first crop are completely sterile. You have to just keep buying more seeds from Monsanto.

No, Monsanto (now Bayer, Monsanto no longer exists) does not sell "terminator seeds" but they do license the seeds they sell. Part of that license prohibits the replanting of seeds.

They were even caught numerous times illegally smuggling and spreading Terminator seeds into countries where they were banned.

Source?

GMOs slowly failing in the west .. Move to the east and get the governments involved!

Feel bad for the chinese.