GM DNA Spreading...

Raphter writes: "Frightening study on GM crop genes spreading to wild plants. Original [subscription required] is here." The best part is the farmers who have been sued because plants on their land showed traces of this same DNA, and the agriculture giants alleged the farmers must have planted them.

Comments

Also on the BBC via poliglut

[rw2]

poliglut discussion

Teosinte

[DaoudaW]

One of the saddest things about this story, is that the genetic purity of Teosinte, the proto-maize, is being threatened. Modern corn relies on modern ag techniques, but teosinte manages to survive just fine in the wild. To survive in the wild takes much more genetic diversity and resistance to all types of pests and competition. Don't want to lose them goood genes.

Re:Teosinte

[imrdkl]

I found an article which says that this corn doesn't cross-breed anyways. IANAB, as usual. But why is this a risk?

Re:Interesting, the GM reaction, a little PR pleas

[Catskul]

I agree that people shouldnt freak out, but be very cautious. The problem with GM is that if a specific GM makes a modification that happens to be extremely harmfull to a crop in a situation like drought, or insect swarms, then its likely that all of the plants that have assumed the effective part of the GM genes will be vulnerable. The reason that this isnt normaly a problem in nature is that muatations in genes are normaly indetectibly subtle. Being subtle, they lack much risk of making a plant extremely vulnerable. When changes that occur in nature arnt subtle, since the changes are random, its likely that the change will harm the plant enough to remove it and its offspring from the gene pool pretty quickly.
On top of all of this, in nature, it doesnt matter if only 100 plants out of 1,00,000 survive some environmental situation. Those 100 will go on to reproduce and become the new population. In relation to human lives, it is important. If only 100 plants survive, a huge supply of food being wiped out, will certainly cause a problem.