GM industry puts human gene into rice

[G_j]

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

GM industry puts human gene into rice

By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
24 April 2005


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.

Even before this development, many people, including Prince Charles, have opposed the technology on the grounds that it is playing God by creating unnatural combinations of living things.

Environmentalists say that no one will want to eat the partially human-derived food because it will smack of cannibalism.

But supporters say that the controversial new departure presents no ethical problems and could bring environmental benefits
..more..

[Kagemusha]

1. I'd say, 'depends exactly what they're doing' but... well, not really.

Any theoretical benefits just wouldn't help here. Rice is a basic food in a lot of poor places with strong traditions and superstitions. And even in modern countries this is gonna freak people out. Why bother making a food no one will want to eat?

[rodeodance]

9. yes, i hear some will not eat the Yellowed rice (has vit A in it) which

suspose to prevent certain kinds of blindness in poor countries.

[Shallah Kali]

32. Adults would have to eat 18 lbs. daily of Golden Rice to get RDA

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16478

It is a heck of a lot cheeper and most importantly it is more effective to give people a supplement than to make them buy golden rice. Or better yet give help growing local plants that naturally provide Vitamin A that they won't have to pay a yearly fee to keep growing, not to mention will actually be willing to eat.

[hatrack]

33. "Golden Rice" is a farce anyway

You'd have to eat about five pounds of it a day to reach your RDA of Vitamin A

"Currently, it is not even known how much vitamin JA the genetically engineered rice will produce. The goal is 33.3% micrograms/100g of rice. Even if this goal is reached after a few years, it will be totally ineffective in removing VAD.

Since the daily average requirement of vitamin A is 750 micrograms of vitamin A and 1 serving contains 30g of rice according to dry weight basis, vitamin A rice would only provide 9.9 micrograms which is 1.32% of the required allowance. Even taking the 100g figure of daily consumption of rice used in the technology transfer paper would only provide 4.4% of the RDA.

In order to meet the full needs of 750 micrograms of vitamin A from rice, an adult would have to consume 2 kg 272g of rice per day. This implies that one family member would consume the entire family ration of 10 kg. from the PDS in 4 days to meet vitaminA needs through "Golden rice". This is a recipe for creating hunger and malnutrition, not solving it.

Besides creating vitamin A deficiency, vitamin A rice will also create deficiency in other micronutrients and nutrients. Raw milled rice has a low content of Fat (0.5g/100g). Since fat is necessary for vitamin A uptake, this will aggravate vitamin A deficiency. It also has only 6.8g/100g of protein, which means less carrier molecules. It has only 0.7g/100g of iron, which plays a vital role in the conversion of Betacarotene (precursor of vitamin A found in plant sources) to vitamin A."

EDIT

http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/GEessays/goldenricehoax.html

[Geo55]

51. Ohhh....man, when the lettuce starts lookin' back at ya !

THAT'S CREEPY !

[Athame]

83. Nice Green Man pic

Off topic, but I have been looking for a good one to send my son, who is into the big poker craze. The Green Man is the poker god, you know. Formally known as the Green Man of Wisdom, he is the vegetation diety of the return of life and fortune. He amassed his fortune by winning at cards, by knowing when to risk and when to "hold 'em." It is a great--but very long--story that is the basis of the Robin Hood legends, told traditionally at Beltane (May 1).

carry on.

[PSPS]

22. We already solved that problem in the US

Why bother making a food no one will want to eat?

We banned any labeling on foods which would expose its frankenfood content. Problem solved!

[NYC]

43. It freaks me out.

"Cannibalism" was the first word that came to mind. I don't want to eat rice with human genes. I don't want to eat tomatoes with fish genes.

Even worse, they'll be patenting these frankenfoods, then suing people whose own crops have been contaminated by them.

I'll buy some of the last human-free rice while it's still on the shelves.

[jdj]

84. we're all the Donner party now.

what fun.

[enki23]

46. er... how many chicken genes to humans share? swine? beef?

what do they mean by "human" gene, in this case? an exclusively human gene? what does it do? we certainly share some genes with the plants in the first place, or at the very least some close analogs. there are plenty of questions to be asked about this, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the idea itself.

EDIT: after reading the article, i'm even more certain this particular case isn't likely to be worth getting too worked up over, unless you're opposed to the idea based on some genetics-ignorant morality.

[Astarho]

2. mmm, Soylent Rice (nt)

nt

[Inland]

25. Now, with more human! nt

[CitySky]

36. HA HA HA n/t

[Kool Kitty]

82. Damn, that's good eatin'!!!

This creeps me out.

[radfringe]

65. If they used Reagan's DNA

they could call it Rice O'Ronnie

[G_j]

3. they tried putting a human gene into Condi

but it didn't take..

couldn't resist :-)

[TahitiNut]

26. Trying to make Rice more human? Fruitless.

:shrug: She's lost to the dark side of the Force.

[antonialee839]

29. Then they found out Bush ain't human

Da Dum!

[wallwriter]

68. I was going to make that joke!

[shanti]

4. but why????????

what is the benefit??

[Igel]

50. From link:

"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.

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. ...

Professor Richard Meilan of Purdue University in Indiana, who has worked with a similar gene from rabbits, says that plants modified with it could "clean up toxins" from contaminated land. They might even destroy them so effectively that crops grown on the polluted soil could be fit to eat."

I wonder if it wouldn't reduce the amount in the final product, as well.

And, of course, there are the usual caveats: if the gene escapes into wild plants ...

[VegasWolf]

5. Making white rice? n/t

[G_j]

6. ...

[FloridaPat]

8. They make special seeds that can't reproduce. So every year

the grower has to buy seeds from the seller. You do that to the entire food chain, and no one can survive without paying big prices for seeds.

[rodeodance]

11. they have done that to American farmers for 30 years or more.

[NickB79]

70. Exactly

They're called hybrid crops. Farmers can't regrow most crops from seed nowadays anyway, because hybrids don't grow true from seed. This was going on long before genetic engineering began to take hold, starting in the 50's and 60's Green Revolution.

[rodeodance]

7. the bluring of human and non-human will make it increasingly difficult

for the Right to what what is truly human (i know they will anyway).
will be interesting that is for sure.

[KittyWampus]

10. Is Every Single Seed Genetically The Same? Then It's Against Nature.

And will ultimately lead to a catastrophe.

A Master Race of people or plants is not healthy.

[rodeodance]

15. seems to have lots of benefits.

....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.

Supporting scientists say that the gene could also help to beat pollution.

[KittyWampus]

17. Organic Method Of Dealing W/Weeds? Low Tillage Farming. CheaperToo.

[Eloriel]

19. Mulch, mulch, mulch

Saves erosion, retains moisture in the soil, keeps soil temps more even, suppresses weeds and makes those weeds that do germinate very easy to rout because the soil is soft and pliable and the roots are weak and shallow.

ALSO, not tilling the soil helps keep the all-important soil micro-organisms healthier (which is critically important for healthy soil) by not disrupting their little ecosystems continually.

Also saves fuel, if you're mechanized, or labor if you're a small gardener, like me. And I'm a LAZY gardener, too. :D

[G_j]

23. "One Straw Revolution"

a classic book on this philosophy and approach:

http://www.eco-logicbooks.com/index.cfm?fa=book_details&book_id=132

ONE STRAW REVOLUTION
Masanobu Fukuoka

Masanobu Fukuoka is one of the most radical and influential agrarian thinkers this century. 'One Straw' describes the events that
led to the development of Fukuoka's
concept of 'natural farming'. He emphasises the basic principles of no cultivation, no chemical fertilizer, incorporating and controlling useful weeds and rather than eradicating them. Using these methods Fukuoka produces greater crops than achieved by chemical based modern farming practices. Year by year the soil becomes richer and more productive. This book should be compulsory reading for all who wish to bring about change, not only in agriculture, but how we view the whole process of growing food.

[chlamor]

72. YES YES and YES

Fukuoka is a genius. That book is an alltime classic. Also read his hard to come by "The Natural Farmer", I think that is the title, I have a shabby copy.

[G_j]

75. I'm glad you recognized it

I know a few folks who credit that book for changing their lives.

[Andy_Stephenson]

28. I have a compost heap that I put all grass clippings

leaf mulch...kitchen scraps etc on...Every year I add a think layer of the compost to the garden. Plant my plants directly in the mulch and I have awesome soil now. In fact...I hardly use any fertilizer...maybe a bit of miracle grow when I first plant but nothing else. My plants thrive like crazy...I don't pay the garbage man to pick the clean green up....it is good for the Earth...and it makles me feel good as well.

[leftchick]

41. I throw the kids pumkins in every fall

It never fails to give me a new pumpkin plant each spring! :)

[apple_ridge]

39. I just starting doing it last year after reading all about it in

Mother Earth News.

I've got a ton of garlic coming up through the mulch right now and the last bit of snow in my back yard just disappeared only a few days ago.

[MissB]

76. Yes, and if nothing else the mulch

Will produce some really tall weeds if you don't pull them when they are young. :D

[BeFree]

21. So, given evolution...

...eventually when there is formed a resistance to the human liver gene in the wild, no human liver will be able to withstand it? Sounds like certain doom to me, and you are for that possibility?

[Nostradammit]

27. Wow! rodeodance is supporting a kooky right-wing scheme ~

Will wonders never cease?

[enki23]

48. that's cyp2b6. they got it wrong in the article. (they had cpy2b6)

it's a cytochrome p450. plants have their own p450 genes. we aren't giving it something completely different than it already had. bacteria have p450's. most things have p450's. humans have a whole bunch of different p450's, almost certainly some which haven't been characterized yet. most life forms do. maybe some don't, i don't know, but they're pretty integral not only to biotransformation of xenobiotics (exogenous biologically active agents) but to endogenous steroid and lipid metabolism. in any case, we're hardly the only species with something very close to this gene.

imho, this is isn't something to be particularly afraid of. cytochrome p450's aren't all that directly involved in cellular signalling or recognition, so far as i recall, so i don't see allergy issues being likely in this case. and hell, we already have some amount of it, and its products, in us anyway.

on the other hand, there are plenty of xenobiotics which are *activated* to toxic products by this and other enzymes. it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that this could cause the buildup of some particularly toxic product in the plant tissues, if the plant were exposed to a significant amount of a precursor which this particular p450 had very high affinity for. but that's a pretty far fetched scenario, and certainly not something which should make us avoid researching in this case.

[Rainscents]

12. I read somewhere not to long ago,

they've track 5,000 (teen girls before they had babies) and once, they gave birth, they did DNA test done on these babies, they found that, all babies born, some of the gens were altered.
I wish I knew where I read it... it was very scary article. Maybe I read it in the Organic Consumer.

[NJCher]

14. please let me know

If you ever find that info. PM, please?

Oh man. :scared:


Cher

[Rainscents]

16. I will look for it... when I find it, I will post the link.

[Rainscents]

34. Link is good articels... I am still searching for other.

http://www.all-creatures.org/cb/a-gefood-ingred.html

[peacebird]

13. one more reason to buy only non-GM organic foods....

[NickB79]

71. Good luck with that

For just one example of how common GM crops are, next time you're at the grocery store start looking for high-fructose corn syrup on the labels of products. If it has it (which almost all foods seem to these days), you are eating genetically engineered food, as virtually all high-fructose corn syrup made in America today is made from GM crops. Of course, truly organic products can't use GM crops in any way, I believe, but those are pretty hard for many people to find in a Cub or Rainbow Foods in a lot of areas.

[peacebird]

73. Hi Nick! I am well aware of how insidious GM crops are

but by buying non-GMO organic food, and food which has yet to be heavily processed ("convenience" foods) - I am able to get good healthy veggies and fruits. There are some good organic frozen veggies available now, and organic canned beans and veggies as well as fresh. Fruit juice mixed with water (otherwise is too sweet for me) replaces sodapop and it's high-fructose garbage.

Admittedly organic/free range/no-antibiotic/no animal byproducts in feed/ meat and poultry cost more - so we just eat less meat. No biggie for us.

Harris Teeter and Trader Joes carry a lot of organic stuff, and Giant and Safeway have started also.

[jus_the_facts]

18. Isn't that cannibalistic?

:puke:

[Eloriel]

20. Grotesque / nominated!

This has got to stop.

[w4rma]

24. Eating people. (nt)

[MisterP]

30. but the boosters say this happens in nature all the time;

it's precisely the same as weeding out the stunted cabbages before they blossom!
(later):
Why do you hate the starving?! Why do you hate America?! *jumps up and down until the checks from Monsanto fall onto the CATO room floor*

[UpInArms]

31. this is gross and unsafe

But he and other scientists caution that if the gene were to escape to wild relatives of the rice it could create particularly vicious superweeds that were resistant to a wide range of herbicides.

and then they say the "benefit" would be that we can eat food grown on toxic soil :puke:

[Shallah Kali]

35. Why aren't the fundies protesting? What about saving the DNA like stemcell

I won't eat GMOs even when they don't have human DNA in it. I don't want gene jumping in my body!

[info being]

69. Because their corrupt leaders don't invoke their outrage over this

[Shallah Kali]

81. I forwarded this article to a fundy I know

I hope she passes it on to others inspite of her religious leaders ignoring this.

[norml]

37. It's about time Condoleeza had some humanity put into her.

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/usa/condoleeza-rice/

[apple_ridge]

38. Will this create Mad Human Disease?

[daleo]

40. Pascal called man "a thinking reed".

If he only knew how the future would unfold...

Maybe someday they can inject humanity into Condi Rice.

[Deja Q]

42. You think they'd have learned from the Mad Cow debacle...

cow feeding cow.

So now it's human fodder into rice for humans to eat.

This is insane.

[scottxyz]

44. That's just disgusting

I hate the whole Monsanto / genetic-engineering / Posilac / Roundup-Ready / golden-rice / Terminator-seed sci-fi racketeering scenario.

These people are sickos. Posilac makes cows produce twice as much milk (and get twice as many bacterial infections). Roundup pesticide kills ALL plants - except the Roundup-Ready plants available from the same manufacturer. Plants grown from Terminator seeds can't produce offspring, so the farmer has to buy new seeds every year instead of saving his best ones for next year. And golden-rice is a total joke - you could just grow some carrots or squash and get all the vitamin A you need - you're not SUPPOSED to get vitamin A from a starchy plant.

We need laws against this Frankenfood stuff.

[HockeyMom]

45. Allergies, Vegans

I read some people were having severe allergic (poultry) reactions to tomatoes cultured with chicken DNA (to make they grow bigger). There were a few lawsuits involving this.

Can you imagine the horror of a vegan eating rice with HUMAN DNA? Hey, I am a meat eater and this horrors me.

[Rainscents]

47. Read the link I posted on #34... what you said is very true.

[jazzjunkysue]

49. If it works on Condi can we try it on Dick?

[chlamor]

52. environmental benefits?

So many lies

[jamesinca]

53. Will this have auto-immune disease ramifications

My mind could not help but go down the path of a foreign DNA strand being introduced into the body and causing some type of immune cascade, auto-immune, mad cow, organ rejection type ramifications? I understand that it is going into the digestive tract and not being introduced into the blood stream but something just tells me that people will suffer from higher rates of irritable bowl and nausea from this. I know that I should not base things on movies, but if you remember "Jurassic Park", the thing that Jeff Goldblum always went on about was: chaos, nature will find a way.

[Fridays Child]

54. Waiter, I'll have the rice with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

:puke:

[Javaman]

55. Wow, does this mean that condi, I have never had an original idea, rice...

will say something smart for a change? Oh wait you were talking about the grain...damn, me, always the optimist. LOL

[JohnOneillsMemory]

56. The Nazi experiments on civilians continue...on us....n/t

[rocktivity]

57. Glad to hear it

Condoleezza Rice can use all the human genes she can get.

:crazy:
rocknation

[womanofthehills]

58. Easy to tell which fruits & veggies are GE's

Most fruits and vegetables have stickers on them. Organic foods have 5 numbers beginning with 9, regular non organic, non GE have 4 numbers beginning with 4 and the "Frankenstein foods" begin with the letter 3.

[Rainscents]

62. Welcome to DU!!!

:hi:

Thanks for the info!!! I didn't know that.

[renaissanceguy]

59. You mean they made Condi a human?

Now that's some fine work...


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.21272885

[0rganism]

60. When you gaze long into the bowl of rice, the rice also gazes into you

Nietzsche never had it so good.

[Tabasco_Dave]

61. Where are the fundies when you actually need them

I remember in the 1980's they where opposed to genetic enginering because they said it would be playing God. Now these scientists are actually doing things that the born agains feared and you don't hear a peep from them anymore. On-edit they are opposed to stem cell research which could actually help people LOL.

[surrey405]

63. ITS A GOOD THING...TRUST ME

Look, i heard a long time ago that in Sudan or Kenya or some place in Africa, tons of GM food was delivered as aid where people were dying...they totally rejected it because it was GM...what the F*CK..i mean when you are dying of hunger...who the hell cares...if it saves the lives of thousands of children...but if they use it here in America or some rich country...its stupid...we are not hungry...but my main point is that people just dont like the idea that man is mixing with nature...if you are about to take your last breath...you wouldnt care a damn.

[G_j]

64. ehhhh

OK.. :eyes:


have a nice visit

[Pow_Wow]

74. sorry

got a link? Or are we supposed to just "trust" you?
LOL !!

[NickB79]

77. I believe that was in Zimbabwe a couple years ago

GM corn was refused by the government because they were afraid farmers would save the seed and grow it next year instead of eating it all. Here is a link, obtained by googling "Zimbabwe genetically engineered corn":

http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/zimbabwe060702.cfm

"While three million Zimbabweans face a worsening food shortage, the southern African nation last month rejected a U.S. offer of 10,000 metric tons of whole grain corn because the shipment might contain genetically modified grain."

Reading further through the link, it appears the government didn't deny the import based on safety issues, but instead because the Europeans who buy crops from Zimbabwe would stop buying if Zimbabwe's commercial farmer's grain was contaminated.

[LynneSin]

66. I need to start buying food that isn't genetically altared

this is freaking me out. I do not want to eat rice that has human genes into it.

:scared:

[Mika]

67. There are no human genes in Rice

www.stopbolton.org

[left15]

78. Why wouldn't the Cannibals eat the Clowns?

...
...
...
...

They tasted funny.

[chlamor]

79. kick

[Daphne08]

80. Soylent Rice is ...

PEOPLE!!!!

:bounce: