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[Yoink]

I've noticed that most people seem to assume that the practices of one particular GMO company are representative of the entire practice.

may-or-may-not be sufficiently tested

You don't know enough about it to know if it's sufficiently tested? Not sure if having such a strong opinion is wise in that case.

When did I say that?
I'm saying the testing they have done may-or-may-not prove to be sufficient.
Not that that matters to my overall opinion on the subject, anyway.

[Arcvasti]

We've technically been genetically modifying plants and animals since the dawn of herding/farming. It just took a lot longer back then through selective breeding.

I'd argue the difference between breeding and direct genetic modification is sort of like the difference between modding DF's RAWs using the built-in system and using DFhack scripts to change the date directly. Both of them are modding and they can have the same kinds of effects, but they're still different.

[Putnam]

Yeah, but it's still a vague "think of the consequences" situation without much merit. There are a ridiculous amount of studies about their safety for constumption, at least. Genetic Use Restriction Technology isn't in use and Monsanto has explicitly pledged not to (though how much that matters is debatable).

I cannot find a single fear over them that's actually justified...

In fact, everything I can find about the alternative (again, organic farming) just keeps telling me that not using GMOs is completely awful for the environment. So it seems like the choices are go GMO, go organic and completely destroy the environment (due to larger amounts of farmland required and greater pesticides/herbicide use) or go organic and let billions starve.

[Bauglir]

White House, wat r u doin

That's the number of scripts I've blocked about an hour into the State of the Union.

[Baffler]

White House, wat r u doin

That's the number of scripts I've blocked about an hour into the State of the Union.

Just gettin' a look at your browser history. And checkin' up on your other tabs while the boys are already looking around. For your safety, you understand. Wouldn't want you bringing in contraband and getting yourself hurt. No sir, why I remember back in the day...

[scrdest]

My only real beef with GM crops is that it lets companies patent the gene thingies and end up with a monopoly on a certain type of plant.

It's interesting that one of the first changes made is usually to make things seedless...

I'd say the reasons for that are fourfold:

A) Because no one likes to eat seeds. Some people eat them anyways or don't mind them, but the seed is rarely the omnomnom part of the plant.

B) So it can't grow in the wild and push out other plants by cheating. Although this is probably more of a side effect then anything else.

C) So they can make a killing off of selling seeds to farmers.

D) So the genetics don't mutate too much from the approved template.

C) is a pretty douche move and that needs to be regulated more. GM crops are totally a bad idea, at least until we can evolve some half-decent laws for policing the people who peddle them.

I've noticed that most people seem to assume that the practices of one particular GMO company are representative of the entire practice.

The pessimist is always either right, or pleasantly surprised.

^Probably irrelevant quote.

There's also another reason. Ever wondered where a store-bought banana has seeds? Well, it hasn't. And that's a result of *massive* genetic modification of the banana achieved through very simple means, predating modern genetic engineering: the bananas had their cellular division fucked with. They have an additional copy of *each* chromosome a wild banana would have.

As a result, they are:

a) Seedless - and that's the primary mean of achieving seedlessness in most plants, and
b) Much more palatable - wild bananas are far less sweet and more sour - that's the main desired effect of doing that - having the genome like that means storage of nutrients is increased.

[Execute/Dumbo.exe]

Really? How did they even shove in an extra chromosome in the first place?
But anyway, I'm really in favour of GMO crops myself, I mean, you can't really make Triffids...
Actually, I'll stop there, I have no idea how genetic modification works, a mad scientest could probably make super triffids with organic rocket launchers for all I know.

Also, I recall that for a while, carrots were not orange, they were purple, I believe after some selective cross breeding, they ended up with orange carrots, which were (apparently) better tasting.

[Lord Shonus]

Carrots have been orange since AT LEAST the 17th century, when it was a symbol of the Dutch House of Orange.

[Putnam]

Actually, I'll stop there, I have no idea how genetic modification works, a mad scientest could probably make super triffids with organic rocket launchers for all I know.

Yes, but where's the money in that?

Anyway, I just realized how much I love twitch chat. I can be a complete idiot there and I just blend in with the crowd.

ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｗｉｔｃｈ  ｃｈａｔ，  ｍｙ  ｈａｎｄ  ａｕｔｏｍａｔｉｃａｌｌｙ  ｇｏ  ｔｏ  ｔｈｅ  ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ．  ｉ  ｕｓｅ  ｃｔｒｌ  ｃ  ａｎｄ  ｃｔｒｌ  ｖ．  ａｌｌ  ｂｅｃｏｍｉｎｇ  ｐａｓｔｅｒｉｎｏ．

[Gamerlord]

Well, end of my first day of being on the double dose of my meds. To recap:

• Got up at 6:30AM (after about 0.5 -> 1 hours sleep) to go to the doctors and get the prescription.
• Take meds and go for walk.
• Come home, decide that being spinning around in circles with a three year old is a productive use of my time.
• Spend 10 -> 20 minutes babbling to said three year old in simlish for no reason other than it annoys my mother (who's babysitting).
• Spend about an hour in the bathroom because I zoned out and started shuffling in circles.
• Have constant thirst cravings that never go away no matter how much I drink.
• Get bitched out by sister for being too 'loud' because she was 'tired' - which means four -> five hours sleep to my one, the little bitch.
• Laugh so hard at comedy channel during dinner that family is staring at me and it's highly awkward.
• Retreat to bedroom and write this.

And the side effects are only just beginning.

[Cryxis, Prince of Doom]

I got to take a field trip to a Monsanto facility.
Was very cool.
They seem to take care of exactness in what they do, we got to see these chambers they use (shut up portal fans) for testing plants in different environments and they seem to be pretty good at what they do. Their employees are also really nice (just a side note), I think I might get a minor in plant science just to work there didn't college (they are planning on opening a bunch of new jobs when I get out of highschool so yay! [wouldnt that be wierd an aerospace or nuclear engineer with a minor in plant science?])
Anywho GMOs seem to be a good choice, only down side is some bugs are able to, over time, become (genetically?) immune to the insecticides that the plants produce (GMO plants that is).

[Akura]

Apparently, my parents thought that KFC was a good dinner idea for my birthday(which yesterday was). Their biscuits are good, yes, but there was none to be had, just a bucket of their questionable chicken.

Brushing my teeth this morning, my gum started practically gushing blood. I also had some kind of metalic taste. It wasn't blood, it didn't come from the toothbrush, and it wasn't the water.

I got to take a field trip to a Monsanto facility.
Was very cool.
They seem to take care of exactness in what they do, we got to see these chambers they use (shut up portal fans) for testing plants in different environments and they seem to be pretty good at what they do. Their employees are also really nice (just a side note), I think I might get a minor in plant science just to work there didn't college (they are planning on opening a bunch of new jobs when I get out of highschool so yay! [wouldnt that be wierd an aerospace or nuclear engineer with a minor in plant science?])
Anywho GMOs seem to be a good choice, only down side is some bugs are able to, over time, become (genetically?) immune to the insecticides that the plants produce (GMO plants that is).

Cryxis confirmed for brainwash victim.

[UXLZ]

An abscess?

I'd be surprised if you didn't notice one, though.

[scrdest]

Really? How did they even shove in an extra chromosome in the first place?

Not an extra *chromosome*. Extra... well, I don't know how many chromosomes a banana has, if we did the exact same thing to a human it'd be extra 23 chromosomes, to a total of 69 instead of 46.

You don't actually have to shove an extra chromosome into the banana - the banana shoves it in for you. All it takes is, ferex, fucking up the parts that make sure the chromosomes are divided between two babby cells formed by cellular division, so you retain the usual two original copies + one copy that's made every time so that normally the post-division cells have a pair of each chromosome, giving three of each total.

[scrdest]

Ah yes, the sterile bananas...

Crossbreed between two wild species. One which has nice flesh and too many seeds, and one with few seeds but the flesh tastes like ass. We've had all kinds of problems because most banana plants are clones, which of course means that diseases run rampant in them.

I think they actually have gone nearly extinct during a particularly bad year.