Thousands of Genetically Modified Insects Set For Release

VoidHawk
And what about the creatures that rely on those flies for food, also those flies clean up rotting matter, without the flies it will remain rotting and a threat to our health.

It's time someone put a stop to this madness!

Absolutely. Sure flies are annoying but there's such a thing as a fly swat.

reply to post by ShadowLink

What happens in 20 years when we find out 80% of our children can't have children of their own due to the side effects?

I think there is a group of people on this planet that are hoping for just such an event.

Mayhap the overall objective is that humans who come in contact with these modified crops and insects that are designed to stop reproduction will suddenly find they can't reproduce either ....overpopulation problem solved.

This has "unintended consequences" written all over it.

Sal

And any thing that eats the flies is sterile too!
I wounder how for down the food chain it will go?

wow just wow,
better someone gonna excute these scientist real fast...
ahh flies... i dont like them, lets erdicate them from the surface.
ohh and i also dont like dogs, cats and a few other living creatues, so lets get rid of them
out of convenience

reply to post by xuenchen


*refraining from being a grammar Nazi*

While I am not entirely supportive of the current state of genetic modification ( in its early... early lifetime ) I feel that this is a step in the right direction.

The use of chemical pesticides has always been a concern of mine, as we do eventually ingest some measure of said pesticides; however, on the same token this alternative means to achieve the same goal may be a little premature.

Our ability to genetically modify anything has become clearly apparent as 'weak'. It's my personal feeling that this sort of action is commendable, even progressive, however I feel that until scientists know exactly what side effects these FrankenFlies will have, we need to contain this type of 'live experiment' to a laboratory.

I am all for this. I am a advocate of genetic modification of food, animals, insects, and humans, eventually. Really guys, why are you so anti-progress?

Klassified
I think there is a group of people on this planet that are hoping for just such an event.

As far fetched as that statement may sound to some people I could not agree with you more.
I think this is a very real threat in regards to that particular "conspiracy".

reply to post by DigitalJedi805

That's pretty much where I stand as well.

The intentions are good and I would love to see the reliance of pesticides greatly reduced or even completely reduced cause as you pointed out, we eventually ingest these toxic chemicals and I think it's part of the problem with the world today.

We have a great deal of cancer and other diseases today. I feel quite strong that a good percentage of it is from our foods and the chemicals within them. Of course there are many other things as well.

Soon they will be genetically modifying animals to increase growth rate and mass. As it is we have problems from the hormones they are putting into our meat animals, such as young girls starting their menstrual cycles much earlier than they did 10 years ago. (My oldest daughter is one of them.)

Lastly, the other good point you make is that we are neophytes when it comes to genetics and until we REALLY put some forethought into the long term effects of such endeavors these types experiments should be contained to a lab where there is little risk of them contaminating the rest of the globe.

omass
I am all for this. I am a advocate of genetic modification of food, animals, insects, and humans, eventually. Really guys, why are you so anti-progress?

Apparently you didn't read the previous comments.
I would say it's been explained quite clearly why we're "anti-progress" as you say.

You're wrong though. It's not that we're anti-progress, it's more that we're anti-detrimental effects. I speak for myself of course, but I think most of the previous posters against this would agree.

this is not science, this is lunacy! they're going to genetically modify honeybees too. the whole life cycle and natural process will be damned.

reply to post by xuenchen


Hopefully it can be reversed, and that is prob gonna cause huge increase in their population when we get to that stage.because what is to say we don't alter them to produce 4 times as many as they should, or maybe even lay 3 or 4 times per year, no not good to mess with what has taken who knows how many thousands or millions of years to evolve to where they are at now, I don't think they are causing global warming, isn't it the aersol used which is doing that, and who makes that, not the fly's, no its our good old destructive friend mankind himself in all his glory and wisdom....

It's worth noting that flies are also pollinators, I personally don't think it's a good idea to mess about with that whole "cycle"!

All of these GM modifications are to help the modern form of agriculture, which is known as "monoculture", we need to adopt a "polyculture" approach and these "pests" will become less of an issue!

They realise that this monoculture farming isn't sustainable and rather than just accepting the fact and changing to a more sustainable method they try and change nature to suite them instead. It's disgusting really and a very "backward" approach to the problem!

People don't want to grow there own food anymore so these scientists will have there way! Take more responsibility and grow your own produce!

There is enough food and space to feed 20 billion people, don't let them pull the wool over your eyes!

reply to post by omass

Define "progress" for us?

We genetically modify because our method of food production is not sustainable! It's the method that's at fault. Producing one crop (monoculture) in straight lines on aches upon aches of land, season after season, year after year goes completely against nature, so you might find a certain pest becomes prevalent!

What can I say, our version of modern agriculture goes against the grain! They are constantly battling against nature!

You've likely always been told that our current method of food production is the only way to feed the masses, the reality is that is simply not the case! The not the most efficient and as I say, it's certainly not sustainable!

Have you heard of "desertification", well that's what we are doing to our land, stripping it bare of it's nutrients, destroying the bacterial/fungal life in the soil and ruining the soil structure and texture! The lands are becoming less and less fertile, requiring more and more synthetic fertilisers!

You also realise that seen as the current model of food production is dependent on oil based fertilisers, when the price of oil goes up, the price of food goes up! Do you think our children will be able to afford to buy food from these unsustainable farms?

That's not even to mention the damage to the land that pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides do... that's a whole other kettle of fish really as they are not just affecting the "health" of our planet (nature) but are also directly affecting us as we now consume them also!

There's too much to say in one post and likely won't even reply anyway so I'll leave it there!

reply to post by xuenchen


So...

What do we prefer...

A : Monsanto, ICI, Bayer and many others to completely pollute our fields and bodies with cancer related and goodness know what other pathogen causing chemical compounds and molecules?

B : Scientists that try and make an effort and come up with another method of pest control which is less harmful in the long run and as "natural" as possible to both our environment and our future generations in order to feed the masses?

Come on folks, whatever the solution offered at least someone is coming up with a suggestion for a solution!

Instead of contesting, why not offer concrete suggestions or solutions instead of being an armchair/keyboard complainer?

Can you come up with a better solution instead and if so could you share your suggestions here, or will you just debate this by complaining and whinging for the rest of the thread?

And don't worry, they are only talking about this particular type of carcass feeding fly in this particular study, if you open your eyes and Google a little you will find that there are many other types of flies that do the same work as the one mentioned!

Of course the best solution in my own opinion would be that we all grow our own vegetables and fruits organically, (as i do myself) but unfortunately not all of the masses and also people in countries in dire need of the supplements found in fruit and vegetables have the ability, time, space or funds to do so!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

This isn't really anything all that recent. Screwworms are nasty buggers, who will invade a living tissues of all kinds of animals including humans. The USDA was involved in their eradication which was done by sterilizing the male flies who they found would mate with the females resulting in sterile eggs.

I'm not sure how to link, but information on screwworm eradication can be found here:

www.ars.usda.gov...

reply to post by xuenchen



although I DESPISE Monsanto for their atrocious business practices-and of course, the government- which openly colludes with and supports their despicable bully tactics- BIRDS OF A FEATHER...

I am open to GMO's. The science is sound. Though, I don't feel like expanding on that right now- so...summarizing- done research, used logic, came to tentative conclusion; however, open to new information. ["keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out." HA!]

However, this (OP) is a different story.
the uncertainty, the risk, the "unintended" consequences of introducing gm'd animals to natural pops is exponentially greater.
this is just another example of technology getting ahead of us,
and greed getting the best of us.

a nasty recipe....
there's innovation,
and there's recklessness.

i do NOT want/endorse government addressing this however.
(government is inherently violent and inefficient, and everything it touches turns to scheisse.)

we need to alert the market- if we do that successfully, the market will auto-correct.
how do we do that?
sharing/discussing information is the obvious step 1...
step 2?
Lets discuss

reply to post by 727Sky


that wasn't genetic modification, it was irradiation, something that cannot continue on as an experiment, but more so a one time deal and i would have agreed to implementing that, but not GMO flies with zero known possibilities.

reply to post by anonymous101


Can hardly see that this has been removed in "Dark" mode?

reply to post by xuenchen


Thousands? Thats funny. Thousands are a drop in the bucket to the millions a group of bats can eat in one night. If you have any worries (which you shouldn't have because the insects are identical when it comes to the nutritional value) then you can rest easy knowing that these insects will most likely die before even copulating within a 24 hour period.

I would be more worried about the pesticides.