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Genetics dna on pbshd.  genetically altered plant

I'm watching a special on DNA about Jim Watson and about the lab Cold Spring Harbor about 5 mins from me.

They showed a carniverous cotton plant. Gentically made. The scientist says there are a few things they wont do. Mix plant and animal genes. But I think they must have tried....

Crazy cool stuff
 
A carnivorous cotton plant? ME WANT!!! I bet you it's probably a flypaper like plant and looks dull though.
 
Watch out for the sweaters, though!
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And the tighty-whities!  I'm switching to silk boxers!    
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neato . i wish i had a pic!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]The scientist says there are a few things they wont do. Mix plant and animal genes. But I think they must have tried....
but they've already done that... they've made frost resistant strawberries with polar fish genes.
and others...
 
they've already had animal DNA in plants for a very very very long time now. and the best part about it is you're already eating it too, it is in the food supply. pig & fish genes in strawberries, fish in corn & tomatoes, the list is absolutly HUGE of altered foods. it's not just animal genes neither, human genes were introduced into rice crops a couple months ago. farmers have been growing it, it's pollinated by the friendly bee who then contaminates another plant... and on and on...
ever hear the term genetically modified organisium (GMO)? remember all the corn that had to be pulled last year? all of it genetically engeneired (GE).
do a google search about it. very very scarry stuff. the organic consumers assocation has a a lot of good information on thier site about GMOs. unless your food has a certified organic label on it 9 times out of 10 it is GE. almost all the corn, rice and nuts in the US are altered. and don't forget about all the pesticide stuff to. monasanto is a nightmare. i work at a little health food co-op, i breath this stuff day in and day out.
currently the US is haveing a huge nut crisis. everyone started growing only a few types of nuts because there were pesticides avaiable for them, which made for more yeild and more $$. but now, bugs are becomeing immune and wipeing out tons and tons of these crops. and because the farmers arn't growing a variety of crops anymore, they don't have a few verietys that will muscle through the bugs and they are looseing almost all their feild instead. take a look at the price of nuts in the bulk section. they have risen by two dollars in the past 3 months.
i could ramble all day about this crap. there's lots of educational material out there. please read it.
-julie
 
although it really doesn't matter where the gene came from. Don't be thinking that you're eating part human corn. lol! most genes you will find are in hundreds of organisms. the gene to make say keratin is the same in all mammals. it doesn't matter where the gene came from.

although I do sort of disapprove of GMOs. sooner or later we will have invasive corn and super resistant pests, etc.
 
i say engineer away! science is great.

i think daffodils contain around a third of the genes found in humans (or maybe it's humans contain a third of the genes in daffodils.. or maybe that's the same thing?)
 
  • #10
science IS great, and that is exactly why we should be careful. because science has shown us that messing with nature is 90% of the times bad. almost everything we do in our daily lives is bad for nature, and genetically modifying organisms has a huge potential to be very bad.
 
  • #11
read

it's not the DNA they share alike being added. it's the ones that are special to that animal, which is why it is gotten from that source.
 
  • #12
also...i am all for science. i am not, however, for unconrtolled and checked science. the testing of "is safe for human consumption?" part of the program fell by the wayside and is continually being delayed and when they do, the findings hidden to the public. GE was introduced into the feilds despit the huge risks, and now if we find out everyone's gonna die soon, there is no way to get rid of the stuff save burning evey last crop and killing every potental pollinator & dispursant. how are you sapposed to stop the wind?
 
  • #13
lol, of course it's not the genes they have in common, but what I was trying to say is that say the antifreeze gene they insert into strawberries from the polar fish. Many other fish have that gene, and many other organisms have the same gene too.
 
  • #14
Hmm...a carnivorous cotton plant does remind me of a joke I heard. But I'm not going to say it because there are kids on this forum. Just figure out what rhymes with "venus" in the phrase "venus fly trap" and you'll know the joke.
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*oh, and any mods can delete this if you think it's in poor taste*
 
  • #15
Very good posts pinkerton. I am familiar with some of Seralini's studies.
 
  • #16
Great, next thing I know there are going to be a bunch of Rifkinites here denouncing chimeric organisms.
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Before you all go slandering genetic chimeras remember that if it were not for chimerism hemophiliacs would be dying in much greater numbers and contracting HIV at an astronomical rate, diabetics would be forced to use contaminated less than pure non-human insulin and a slew of other diseases would be occuring at higher rates or with worse out comes.

There are two sides to every argument. It would do everyone more than a bit of good to research both side in detail before taking such a stead fast stance.

Oh, and for the record, as a scientist I can tell you that few other professions are as checked and controled as science. There are more government agencies telling us what we can and can not do than I care to list.
 
  • #17
Well This should interest you Travis. I was reading some studies (probibly in Nature) that were saying how it is human nature to condemn anything you don't understand. I'd say it explains a lot.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Treaqum @ July 14 2005,11:03)]Well This should interest you Travis.  I was reading some studies (probibly in Nature) that were saying how it is human nature to condemn anything you don't understand.  I'd say it explains a lot.
Indeed it does, indeed it does
 
  • #19
Maybe I should have explained myself better and said that I kind of disapprove of GM food and others, not GMOs in general.
And yes, maybe there are a lot of restrictions and everything, but they're not perfect. That doesn't mean that bad things don't come out of it. A lot of bad things have come and are still coming out of checked and controlled proffesions like science. I'm not saying it was done on purpose of course, but it's impossible to test everything.
 
  • #20
[b said:
Quote[/b] (JustLikeAPill @ July 13 2005,1:03)]neato . i wish i had a pic!
Here ya go:  Too bad my caps aren't in HighDef too!

carniverouscotton.jpg

carniverouscotton2.jpg

On the right is the regular sickened cotton plant.
The left is the one that produces protiens that digests insects.

Jim Watson rules.
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