First, Super Weeds, now Super Insects, Thanks to Monsanto

[edcantor]

http://www.nationofchange.org/first-super-weeds-now-super-insects-thanks-monsanto-1338362046

A new generation of insect larvae is eating the roots of genetically engineered corn intended to be resistant to such pests. The failure of Monsanto's genetically modified Bt corn could be the most serious threat ever to a genetically modified crop in the U.S.

And the economic impact could be huge. Billions of dollars are at stake, as Bt corn accounts for 65 percent of all corn grown in the US.

The strain of corn, engineered to kill the larvae of beetles, such as the corn rootworm, contains a gene copied from an insect-killing bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt.

But even though a scientific advisory panel warned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the threat of insects developing resistance was high, Monsanto argued that the steps necessary to prevent such an occurrence -- which would have entailed less of the corn being planted -- were an unnecessary precaution, and the EPA naively agreed.

Much more in the article.

[lunasun]

1. Monsanto itself is a most serious threat !!!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/

[qb]

2. Darwin to MONSANTO: "I smite thee!"

[Odin2005]

8. +1,000,000

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. No one could have forseen....

[Nihil]

4. Damning indictment

> But even though a scientific advisory panel warned the Environmental
> Protection Agency (EPA) that the threat of insects developing resistance
> was high, Monsanto argued that the steps necessary to prevent such an
> occurrence -- which would have entailed less of the corn being planted --
> were an unnecessary precaution, and the EPA naively agreed.

[Javaman]

5. Personally, I welcome our new insect overlords...

[pscot]

6. Can you become a biochemist

without at least a semester on natural selection? What part of Darwin do these guys not understand?

[NickB79]

7. I place far as much, if not more, blame on the farmers than Monsanto

When these crops were first released, farmers were advised to plant patches of non-GM crops to act as biological reservoirs to prevent or slow resistance from developing. These refuges would serve as breeding grounds for non-resistant insects, allowing them to survive and breed with any resistant ones that arose.

I know this because my dad received such paperwork in the late 90's when he started growing Round-Up Ready soy and then BT corn. It was also widely published in the farming journals that most farmers subscribed to.

Instead, farmers (my dad included) decided it was more profitable to put 100% of their acreage into GM crops and boost their overall yields a few bushels per acre, future consequences be damned. The jump in crop prices over the past few years just added more fuel to this fire.

Monsanto's scientists knew this could happen, and they advised the farmers growing their crops about the risks. The farmers saw dollar signs and ran the biotech right into the ground.

[Odin2005]

9. How are the Creationists gonna explain this???