Amateurs Experimenting with Genetic Engineering at Home

Hobbyists are playing around with genetic engineering in their garages, tinkering with DNA to produce things like glow-in-the-dark yogurt. They’re making their own lab equipment and turning to the internet for how-to guides and supplies.  Many of them don’t even have a background in science.

Some have the best of intentions, believing that they might just innovate the cure for cancer or save millions of people from hunger.  From The Huffington Post:

In her San Francisco dining room lab, for example, 31-year-old computer programmer Meredith L. Patterson is trying to develop genetically altered yogurt bacteria that will glow green to signal the presence of melamine, the chemical that turned Chinese-made baby formula and pet food deadly.

“People can really work on projects for the good of humanity while learning about something they want to learn about in the process,” she said.

Some so-called ‘biohackers’ see the ability to experiment with genetic engineering at home or in community laboratories as opportunity for creativity to run wild, possibly producing some important discoveries.

It’s understandable that people want to make some major contribution to the world – or just have fun conducting science experiments in their basements. But, genetic engineering is not something to play around with. Imagine the sort of unintended consequences that such experiments could have. They’d be bigger and more potentially damaging than anything we’ve ever seen before.

Biology is complex, and it would be far too easy to accidentally create an organism that wreaks havoc on the earth. Imagine wannabe scientists in every American neighborhood creating their very own Frankenstein’s Monsters. It would get out of hand far, far too quickly.

Have we not learned anything from the countless comic books, horror movies and sci-fi novels that are based entirely on the consequences of humans playing God? How naïve to believe that this is harmless – that nothing but good could come of it.

If you want to work with biotechnology, do us all a favor and go to college and learn the right way to do it – in controlled environments with stringent safety protocol.

Link [The Huffington Post]

Genetically Modified Crops Reach 9 Percent of Global Crop Production

Frankencrops reached 9 percent of global primary crop production in 2007, according to Worldwatch Institute estimates published in the latest Vital Signs Update. The United States is still the leader in producing GMO crops, accounting for half of the global total.

From the Environmental News Network:

“GM crops are definitely not a silver bullet,” said Alice McKeown, a researcher for the Worldwatch Institute. “They sound good on paper, but we have yet to see glowing results.”

Even as GM crop area expands, tensions are building. The European Union is expected to offer new guidance on the crops by the end of the year.  Meanwhile, a new scientific study funded by the Austrian government suggests that a popular variety of GM corn reduces fertility in mice, raising questions about the technology’s safety.

Genetically modified crops are simply not the answer to poverty and food production problems. There is no evidence to support the claim that they are. We are already spraying crops with tons of chemicals that are altering the earth and our bodies – playing Dr. Frankenstein with them seems like an incredibly misguided approach.

Link [Environmental News Network]
Photo credit: Old American Century

Genetically Modified Tobacco Plants Turn Red Around Land Mines

Now, here’s a case where genetic modification is actually a good thing: scientists have developed a tobacco plant that turns red when it detects nitrogen oxide leaks from landmines. It takes about ten weeks for the plants to change color. The plants will also help researchers determine whether an area has been successfully cleared.

From Mail Online:

The tobacco plants has been chosen because it is hardy, easy to grow and has wider leaves.

UN and landmine clearance groups are watching the tests with interest.

Aresa chief executive Steen Thaarup said: ‘This could be an efficient and economic way of clearing mines.

‘There is irony in using tobacco for this – it could end up saving lives for once.’

Becky Maynard at the No More Landmines charity in London, which raises funds to clear mines, said the plants would be a useful tool but communities would still rely on engineers to physically remove them.

There an estimated 80million landmines buried worldwide, covering 120,000 square miles.

Awesome. Natural solutions for manmade problems FTW! This could keep tobacco farmers in business even if they wanted to stop fueling the cigarette death machine, which is another plus.

Link [Mail Online]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons