1623
you're doing ReSeArCh rong!! (lemmy.ca)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
137 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 1 point 10 months ago (14 children)

IMO: GMOs are sus. Fuck the rest though.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 14 child comments
    •
  • [–] 17 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    GM is just a technology, which can be put to many uses, and there are many methods. All pasta wheats, for example, are derived from radiation mutants.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 23 points 10 months ago

    The risk isn't derived from the technology but how it is used. The proprietary technology is used to prevent farmers from creating their own seed (including using copy right laws) while increasing their dependency on matching pesticides. Industrial agriculture is not sustainable - insect populations are dwindling because every square foot of landscape is sprayed with poison. GMO is used to further industrialize agriculture, e.g. by making crops resistant to poison, which in turn can (and will) be used more liberally.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

    The problem with GMOs isn't the GMOs themselves, it's why they've been GM'd. If they've been modified to be "roundup resistant" so they can dump a truckload of glyphosate on them, or something similar to that, that might be a problem.

    If I'm buying fresh produce it's not a problem, I can can make double sure to wash it properly. But if it's processed food, I definitely do not trust food manufacturers to get all that shit off the vegetables.

    Looking for GMO free canned fruit/vegetables, frozen fruit/vegetables, or anything with fruit/vegetables in it is, in my opinion, a good idea. But a fresh cucumber? Just wash it.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 6 points 10 months ago* (4 children)

    Most of the foods you eat are GMOs and have been for centuries because that’s another term for selective breeding. Modern GMO tech simply speeds up the process.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago (3 children)

    selective breeding is not not the same as GMO

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 5 points 10 months ago (1 child)

    By a variety of definitions around the world, yes it is. At least until farmers lobbied to redefine it because they didn't want to be associated with GMO's: (emphasis mine)

    The definition of a genetically modified organism (GMO) is not clear and varies widely between countries, international bodies, and other communities. At its broadest, the definition of a GMO can include anything that has had its genes altered, including by nature. Taking a less broad view, it can encompass every organism that has had its genes altered by humans, which would include all crops and livestock. In 1993, the Encyclopedia Britannica defined genetic engineering as "any of a wide range of techniques ... among them artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization (e.g., 'test-tube' babies), sperm banks, cloning, and gene manipulation." The European Union (EU) included a similarly broad definition in early reviews, specifically mentioning GMOs being produced by "selective breeding and other means of artificial selection" These definitions were promptly adjusted with a number of exceptions added as the result of pressure from scientific and farming communities, as well as developments in science. The EU definition later excluded traditional breeding, in vitro fertilization, induction of polyploidy, mutation breeding, and cell fusion techniques that do not use recombinant nucleic acids or a genetically modified organism in the process.

    There is no doubt in my mind that we are genetically modifying a plant when we are selective breeding it for specific genes. The fact that the mutation occurred naturally doesn't change the the fact that there was human intervention.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 1 point 10 months ago*

    It isn't really equivalent. GM by gene editing is precise and quick; GM by selective breeding and deliberate mutation is slow and random

    I wonder if anyone will ever work out what genes make good apples. It would save so much random breeding

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [+] -22 points 10 months ago* (6 children)
    [removed by mod]
  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
    •
  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago

    It is purely a numbers game. Risk vs Risk. Any meal you eat has the possibility of you ending up in hospital. This happened to me, developing a sudden allergy to food I ate before with no problems. It does not stop me eating though 😉

    Allergic reaction is your greatest risk with a vaccine. And even there you will the chances slim for such a reaction. We simply take that risk for the vaccine in question, take its effectiveness into account and compare that to the risks of getting the decease in question.

    I would not wish long covid on my worst enemy. The never ending brain fog, the tiredness that simply does not go away, the lack of taste for food. It really sucks the joy out of living. So if a vaccine can prevent that, and help shield those around you, that you may infect, I think the risk of side effects are more than justified and worth taking.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 0 points 10 months ago

    You question vaccines and yet you probably don't have any problem asking for antibiotic when you get flu, even though antibiotics don't work on viruses and only kills the healthy bacteria in your gut. Or, taking painkillers for headaches, even though one of its side effects for constant use is eventual hearing loss.

    You question vaccines as if they are all the same, but don't question other medicinal products that are made in the exact same process as vaccines. And all medicines have some side effects nonetheless. Heck, almost anything you consume has side effects. As another person mentioned, we take medicines and they are approved because the benefits outweigh the risks. They are tested first for crying out loud.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • load more comments (-1 replies)