January 2, 2000                                                                                          home

". . . . Today, the leading edge of genetics is in the field of biotechnology.  The basis of this new area is the ability to take DNA (genetic material) from one organism and insert it into a different species.

This is truly revolutionary.  Human beings can't normally exchange genes with a carrot or a mouse, but with DNA technology scientists can make it happen.

However, history informs us that while we love technology there are always costs, and since our knowledge of how nature works is so limited, we can't anticipate how those costs will manifest themselves.  We only have to reflect on DDT, nuclear power and CFCs, which were hailed as wonderful creations but whose long term detrimental effects were only found decades after their widespread use.

Now, with a wiser and more balanced perspective, we are cutting back on the use of these technologies.  But with GM foods, this option may not be available.  The difference with genetically modified food is that once the genie is out of the bottle, it will be very difficult or impossible to stuff it back in.

If we stop using DDT and CFCs, nature may be able to undo most of the damage--even nuclear waste decays over time.  But GM plants are living organisms.  Once these new life forms have become established in our surroundings, they can replicate, change and spread, so there may be no turning back.  Many ecologists are concerned about what this means to the balance of life on Earth that has evolved over millions of years through the natural reproduction of species.

Biotechnologists trumpet the revolutionary nature of genetic manipulation (the very reason why it should be applied with extreme caution).  Then they turn around and tell us DNA is DNA and there's nothing revolutionary or hazardous about crossing the species boundaries.

But they can't have it both ways.  It can't be revolutionary for all the wonderful things that are possible but normal when concerns are expressed.  Genomes are selected in the entirety of their expression.  In ways we barely comprehend, the genes within a species are interconnected and interact as an integrated whole.
(emphasis added)

When a gene from an unrelated species is introduced, the context within which it finds itself is completely changed.  If a taiko drum is plunked into the middle of a symphony orchestra and plays along, it is highly probably the resultant music will be pretty discordant.

Yet based on studies of gene behavior derived from studies within a species, bio-technologists assume these rules will also apply to genes transferred between species.  This is totally unwarranted."

The article goes on to point out that North Americans are "part of a massive experiment" without having been given the opportunity for informed consent.
Worse yet, GM foods were deemed safe before the experiment began.  Any detrimental effects will appear only after millions of people have consumed them for an extended period.

Environmental effects are already showing up, the most dramatic being that of pollen from Roundup Ready corn contaminating nearby stands of milkweed, the only food of monarch butterfly larvae.  There has also been evidence of transferal of herbicide resistance which portends the development of herbicide resistant weeds.
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Recommended reading: Genetic Engineering Dream or Nightmare
                                        by Dr. Mae-Wan Ho 
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