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[Il Palazzo]

There's definitely a few legitimate concerns about genetically engineered crops, but they're mostly based on the new genes "escaping" rather than any directly adverse effects on humans (so the people who don't want to eat stuff because it's genetically modified are silly).

And how in a world would a gene escape to anywhere? I am baffled.


Anyway, here are some snazzy online resources which might be helpful, if not for this subject, then at least for others.
Personally, I'd love to see a "book club"-styled thingy, where people choose an online course to follow, and then discuss, review and generally talk about the subject in question. Just thinking aloud(?).

http://academicearth.org/ - a repository of online courses from universities like MIT, Harvard and whatnot. The biology section doesn't contain any strictly "genetic engineering" related courses, but I suppose there are at least a few lectures within, which relate to the current subject.

http://thesciencenetwork.org/ - these are more of a collection of panels and individual lectures, rather than academic courses. Good for keeping track of current developments in a given field, and simply fun to watch, as inteligent people talk about their passions(like, their scientific focus, not their sexual adventures).

http://richarddawkins.net/ - Richard Dawkins' own website. The man is a great popularizer of scientific thought in general, biology in particular. Don't go there if you want to mix science with religion - Dawkins will eat your head.

http://lesswrong.com/ - great site if you want to get an intuitive, yet in-depth explanation of scientific thoughts too heavy on technical jargon to approach. Somewhat hard to navigate, and more focused on philosophy of science rather than any particular subject, but if you'll ever want to get a hang of e.g.quantum physics(in a qualitative way), this is the place to go to.

[Tack]

To throw in 'The Farmer's Opinion' on genetic engineering.

In Australia, we widely use genetically engineered cotton, which is resistant to many bugs which plague the cotton industry as a whole. This saves an amazing amount on various pesticides and sprays, obviously. However, there is a catch.
The reason that we use genetically engineered cotton is because the common pests to cotton are very fast, evolution-wise, and, as such, have gained a resistance to many of the specific-non (plant) harmful pesticides. In order to combat the bugs becoming resistant, or used to, the genetically engineered cotton, there is a government mandate that your total cotton farm must be no more than 20% genetically engineered cotton. This obviously leaves another 80% for you to cry over- etc.

[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

http://richarddawkins.net/ - Richard Dawkins' own website. The man is a great popularizer of scientific thought in general, biology in particular. Don't go there if you want to mix science with religion - Dawkins will eat your head.

Actually, just forget about his involvement in religion. I hate it when people hear that I'm an atheist and think I'm going to act exactly like Dawkins, it's a serious pain in the backside.

[Puck]

I would of begun

I suggest english grammar

[Vector]

There's definitely a few legitimate concerns about genetically engineered crops, but they're mostly based on the new genes "escaping" rather than any directly adverse effects on humans (so the people who don't want to eat stuff because it's genetically modified are silly).

And how in a world would a gene escape to anywhere? I am baffled.

Cross-pollination/breeding?  Fields are grown outside, where there is wind, which carries seeds to other fields... and so on, and so forth.

[RedKing]

There's definitely a few legitimate concerns about genetically engineered crops, but they're mostly based on the new genes "escaping" rather than any directly adverse effects on humans (so the people who don't want to eat stuff because it's genetically modified are silly).

And how in a world would a gene escape to anywhere? I am baffled.

Cross-pollination/breeding?  Fields are grown outside, where there is wind, which carries seeds to other fields... and so on, and so forth.

Also, two other potential vectors (no pun intended) are:

1. Ingestion/excretion. You typically don't absorb the DNA of what you eat, but it can hang around in fragmentary form in the gut for some time. It also would be present in excreta. Both of these are more important because of....

2. Microbial transport. Bacteria and viruses, on the other hand, are fairly good at acquiring new DNA from hosts over long spans of time. There's been some fascinating work done with DNA analyses of humans and influenza virii over evolutionary time, which suggests that not only did the flu pick up bits of human DNA code along the way, but that possibly humans have incorporated bits of DNA code from the flu, over an evolutionary timespan. One school of thought holds that such two-way transfers can serve (again, over evolutionary timespans) to transfer DNA from one species to another by way of a microbial "middleman".

[alway]

That photosynthesizing green sea slug oft talked about recently is an extreme example of horizonal gene transfer: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/green-sea-slug/
In general, nothing that extreme happens frequently, and for the most part it is merely micro-organisms absorbing a gene or two. This can then transfer said genes into other crops or organisms where they can become active once again. It is rare, but far from impossible.

[Qloos]

Also, I've learned that the dna code in cells has protective tips at the end of their strands.  Every time a gene devides, this tip gets smaller, (atleast, in most species it does: Lobsters.)  This tip can most easily be related to a shoe lace's tip, protecting the ends of the genes from fraying.  Once the gene devides enough times, it no longer has this protective tip and genes have a much easier time mutating which can lead to debilitating deseases related to old age.

However, single celled organisms dont reduce the size of this tip when they device, and are essentially immortal.

A theory as to why most multi celled organisms reduce the size of this protective tip is to reduce the chance of cancer.  A creature is forced to produce offspring before it mutates from natural causes and produces flawed offspring.  There was also a way to prevent a cell from shortening it's gene tips in a peetri dish with a specific substance.  Unfortunately the substance, (if I recall correctly.) is the biproduct of cancerous genes.  So immortality is a balancing act between cancer and cell degeneration.

Alot of what I posted is vague because I cant quite remember all the details from the soure. . . which I also cant remember.


It's been a lot longer than a week.  I've been working 11-14 hour days for the past two weeks roughly.  But I'm on a more lenient schedual for the next while.  A new subject/skill/topic would be appreciated.

[Heron TSG]

Research the history of the indigenous peoples of central Australia.

[Medicine Man]

Kill somebody and learn how to go undetected.

_{DON'T DO THAT AT ALL.}

[Qloos]

Kill somebody and learn how to go undetected.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Medicine Man]

Kill somebody and learn how to go undetected.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Why did you post a sweaty black man who is staring at something?