GM industry puts human gene into rice

[donsu]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=632444


Scientists have begun putting genes from human beings into food crops in a dramatic extension of genetic modification. The move, which is causing disgust and revulsion among critics, is bound to strengthen accusations that GM technology is creating "Frankenstein foods" and drive the controversy surrounding it to new heights.

-snip-

In the first modification of its kind, Japanese researchers have inserted a gene from the human liver into rice to enable it to digest pesticides and industrial chemicals. The gene makes an enzyme, code-named CPY2B6, which is particularly good at breaking down harmful chemicals in the body.

Present GM crops are modified with genes from bacteria to make them tolerate herbicides, so that they are not harmed when fields are sprayed to kill weeds. But most of them are only able to deal with a single herbicide, which means that it has to be used over and over again, allowing weeds to build up resistance to it.

But the researchers at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Tsukuba, north of Tokyo, have found that adding the human touch gave the rice immunity to 13 different herbicides. This would mean that weeds could be kept down by constantly changing the chemicals used.
-snip-

"The industry is capable of anything and this development certainly smacks of Frankenstein."
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sigh

[Sequoia]

1. The Rice Man Cometh?

Those fundies might not want to cook rice, they have a right to life.

[iconoclastNYC]

2. GM Is a horror waiting to happen.

Corporations should not be playing God by meddling with life. We do not know what the consequences of this might be for our environment. Monsanto says it's safe but DuPont told us that Freon was safe. It destroyed the ozone layer and now you are much more likely to get skin cancer then you were in the 1940s.

Unless there is a huge compelling reason for this GM shit we should just stick with nature's solutions instead of pesticides and industrial chemicals.

[TlalocW]

3. QUAKER RICE CAKES ARE MADE FROM PEOPLE!

PEEEEEEEOPLE!

TlalocW

[beam me up scottie]

4. Great...

one less thing a vegetarian can eat.:wtf:

[Karenina]

5. Yuk!

:puke:

[shadowknows69]

6. ok, that's just fukin creepy.

How many genes constitue canabalism?

[slutticus]

7. Give me a break.

...It's only a sequence of amino acids.

People need to get a grip.

[KansDem]

8. Rare photo of the result of this procedure...

CONDI RICE!!!