Bio-Engineered Rice Uses Human Genes

gliph writes "Yahoo news has a piece about a small biogenetics firm that is using genetically engineered rice containing human genes to help fight diarrhea. From the article: 'Ventria's rice produces two human proteins found in mother's milk, saliva and tears, which help people hydrate and lessen the severity and duration of diarrhea attacks, a top killer of children in developing countries.'"

Comments

Ethics?

[mahangu]

What about the ethical aspect of putting human genes in rice? Wouldn't people who eat that rice be eating a part of a human? That's kind of freaky to think about.

Re:Product's name:

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never understood why people let some book of fairy tales determine what they eat and don't eat. People should catch up with the Enlightenment and give up their stupid dietary rules. No pork... what a load of shit.

Re:Shut the fuck up.

[nugneant]

What ifs? Is that meant to be imply some negative connotation to perfectly reasonable and serious concerns?

No. For an example of an idiotic "what-if", refer yourself to this post made by "kanzels". At some point between "genetically modified rice that can cure diarrhea" and "this planet's going to die :(", there was a "what if" at some point that was, in the true spirit of human idiocy, answered idiotically.

Here's a whatif, for you. What if we give hard working salt-of-the-earth farmers the chance to save some money and allow them to feed their cows animal protein instead of corn? Never mind the overly analytical issue of feeding herbivores other herbivores, there's livelihoods at risk, economies at stake, and benefits to go around for everyone.

That's a very nice "whatif", Pollyanna. What if we could make every little girl a happy ballerina and every boy a top-notch astronaut? What if we could make everybody a millionaire? What if we could make every post on Slashdot a First Post, and every First Post a beautiful tapestry, interwoven with +5 Insightful, +5 Informative, and even +5 Funny jokes that aren't about Soviet Russia, underpants gnomes, or the new overlords - such that each post stands on its own as a brilliant essay, not just on the article (which would always be read and never succumb to the Slashdot effect), but on the human condition itself? -- okay, enough.

Yes, ideally we could blah blah protein instead of corn. Ideally there would not be any starving peasents, ideally governments would serve the needs of their people instead of merely lording over them / "leading" them, ideally I would not have to be making this post because you would already have read my mind and realized what I was about to say. Which is:

Unfortunately, ideals can not always be instantaneously achieved. So, instead of a perfect world, we have this here Magical Kaeopectate Rice made from the milk, spit and tears of the working class. It could certainly prevent some (roughly 2 days worth, according to the article) suffering, for now, and for the future, while we all slowly work towards a better tomorrow (note - not the John Woo film). However, the question then arises:

Should we be "moderate" about this new rice, a process which involves some idiots bleating back and forth about whether or not it's "ethical", twenty hippy-nerds eagerly speaking about stuff that'll make the average person's eyes glaze over (unfortunately, because if you listen, there's gems of thought to be had - sincerely, it is not my intention to belittle the +5 Informative one finds on Slashdot), one or two loudmouth louts like myself helpfully passing out free threats of sodomy, hopeless dorks posting about Diarrhea genetically modifying YOU, and the occasional testimony of people who've been abroad and seen this shit (pardon the pun) first-hand - oh, and of course, the GNAA at some point - -- and meanwhile while this circus of confusion is continuing thousands of children are sick and in pain and shitting all over the place?

Or should we take a moment to process this information, check to see if A) the rice is going to develop sentient intelligence of its own and take over the world and go Urotsukidoji on us all (answer: not likely), B) whether it'll infect other rice plants with its own insidious protein blend (answer: since rice is self-pollinating, Uncle Ben should have nothing to fear), and finally C) if the peasents will use this rice-protein (answer: they will, so long as misguided missionaries aren't trying to convince them that it's made from the literal blood, sweat, and tears of their ancestors) - and then proceed to move on to the next issue, happy and content (though momentarily) in the knowledge that a little less suff

Re:Shut the fuck up.

[nugneant]

You know what? I have looked at my own examples and read your post and come to see the error of my ways! God bless you kind sir for infusing my life with this newfound knowledge and teaching me the power of thought through the efforts of you're (sic) kind words and nimble feet.

This firm should be BUILDING THE WORLD'S BIGGEST AQUEDUCT!! Not fucking around with rice!! And also, all those "science" "firms" who are researching how to slam atoms into one another faster and better should stop this bullshit and work on sewing clothes for orphans! And those guys who are trying to figure out an alternative to fossil fuels? I think their efforts would be much better put towards a car that can not crash! Because after all, the easiest way of getting clean water from North America to South America, Asia, and Africa, is by getting a group of bio-geneticists to... ??? ...and then the children, rejuvenated from their crystal-pure drinking water, shall PROFIT!!

Seriously, do you view everything that takes place in America as the direct result of the orders of a single, monolithic entity? Because, for the most part, things just sorta "happen". There are probably already biogenetics firms looking for a way to combine "micro-organism that eats bad things in water" with "isn't dastardly dangerous to humans".

And, yeah, it's a little cynical and jaded to be mentioning money - but let's see, people get paid... how much? To hit a little ball around? And... how much? To make really banal rap music and crusade against file-sharing? Scientists, making a living - now that's wrong!

I only have one thing to say

[LocalH]

FUCK ALL OF YOU NUTBAG ENVIRONMENTALISTS.

Thank you for listening, have a nice day.

"Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted! Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING."
Yes, I know. I was fucking WANTING to yell, assholes.

Re:Product's name:

[superyooser]

Before the first neuron fires, a fetus is just a collection of cells with only the potential for becoming a person; it is no more a "sentient human being" than a hair on my head

It has no more sentience, but it has more purpose. A hair will never have a soul.

Anyhow, the issue is not the sentience of the creation-in-process but the intent of the One creating it.

Psalms 139:13 (NASB): For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret [in sexual intercourse],
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth [womb];
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance ("embryo" - MKJV, CJB, OJB, LITV; "fetus" - GW; "from conception to birth" - MSG)
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

"just a collection of cells"?

From the Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary on Psalms 139:16:

The embryo folded up in the shape of an egg is here [derived from a Hebrew word meaning] to roll or wrap together (cf. glomus, a ball), in the Talmud said of any kind of unshapen mass and raw material, e.g., of the wood or metal that is to be formed into a vessel. [...] [C]ompare similar retrospective glances into the embryonic state in Job 10:8-12, 2 Macc. 7:22f.