[GSlob]

Yes, and there is gene transfer [remember "you are what you eat"?] to humans. And the proof is that many greenpissers are vegetables.

[John Valentine]

The planet earth has become a giant genetics experiment, according to Caruso.

And as it has been since Day One, with and without man's intervention.

I'm not saying that this is either "good" or "bad"; in fact the process is about as free of moral implications as the waves of the sea, and just as implacable and unending.

The only real question is whether we must stand aside, or can we try to direct these process in our small way, even in the face of unpredictable outcomes.

If you want to talk about unpredictable outcomes of genetic manipulation, try having a child.

[SteveMcKing]

It's likely with the trillions of quasi-random mutations produced that virtually all of these modifications have already occurred transiently (at least in yeast/bacteria/mold, and many of them in higher organisms).

If they were viable and competitive in an environment, then they already exist as the organisms we know.

Engineered organisms will have about the same chance of success in the wild as any weird stuff from a Burpee seed catalogue. Ie, they will likely exhibit one impressive trait (as in "big" tomatoes) and require constant attention to maintain and grow for only one season.

Then, they die.

[dasboot]

I read a report that the Bt cotton..and the illegal hybrids extant,....saved the harvest in India, where a blight wiped out everything else.

Nothing breeds Green 'concern' like success, I guess.

[muir_redwoods]

"Also, the Bt was somehow mysteriously infecting the soil so that no other crops would grow in the same soil."

I'd sure like to see some documentation for that effect

[Hatteras]

What? Oh, I thought the headline said..... Uh, nevermind...

[Reform4Bush]

From this single example, we can ask the general question, should the scientists, the industry and the regulators have been more open to the possible problems with GM, and considered these before embarking on this course?

With so much unknown about this new technique, should there have been more caution before going pell-mell into the production and marketing of biotech products?

I used to do this sort of work (worked for a small company that was the first to introduce a new gene into corn), and I think the author is dead on with these questions.

Scientists working on these crops aren't looking for negatives or unforseen side effects. They are given a project with a goal, and they attempt to meet that goal. Even if they did have a concern about a new project - their personal concerns would be inconsequential to the company's desire to complete the project.

[darth]

Note that certain viruses snip out bits of genetic material and transfer that bit between species.