English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

Scientists have taken a gene from a flounder (a type of fish) and combined it with tomato gene to make a new species of tomato that is more tolerant of cold weather. Many people are against bioengineered food. Why do you think that is?

2007-12-13 09:57:47 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Biology

4 answers

Because bioengineering is done, not to improve nutrition, but to increase profits. If you produce a new type of plant, then you own the rights to make that plant, and sell it. If someone wants to grow that plant, they have to pay you. If, for example, Company A produces a tomato which yields five times the tomatoes as ordinary plants, everyone will have to use it if they want to remain competitive, regardless of nutrition values and taste. This reduces the genetic diversity. In a worst case scenario - if a disease hit the plant, then all plants of that type would be equally susceptible, with massive losses, and few other plants to cultivate.
The other reason for genetic engineering is to increase resistance to herbicide. There is a Canola plant (used for oil production) which has been developed so that a common weed killer can be sprayed over it, killing all the weeds around it, without it suffering any damage. How will this plant be controlled when its seeds blow into neighbouring fields and become weeds themselves?
These are the main objections to genetic engineering - ownership (and control) of food stocks, lack of diversity and weed control.

2007-12-13 10:39:15 · answer #1 · answered by Labsci 7 · 0 0

Research has shown that genetically engineered food is unnatural, and thus contains chemicals (those used for the chagne) that could be detrimental to someone if they were to consume these products over a period of time, and usually prefer organic foods. Other more scientific arguments relay that altering food like this will cause them to outcompete more natural forms in nature. Others argue that bioengineering is a mad science that will lead to bioengineering more unethical things like human bioengineering or bioengineering of animals (like Glo fish: swordtails that are inserted with a flourescent gene from a jellyfish)

2007-12-13 10:07:24 · answer #2 · answered by daysies2 1 · 0 0

Because they don't know anything about it and will believe all the myths out there on the internet about why bioengineered food is so terrible.

2007-12-13 10:05:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Strictly speaking, no. puppy nutrition is all the little bits and products that folk think of are icky and could no longer consume. they at the instant are not going to slaughter an entire cow and toss out all that good meat for puppy nutrition. They slaughter the animals, pull off all the coolest things to sell to people, and save all the little wobbly bits to cut up into puppy nutrition. canines extremely are not correct right here in any respect. curiously canines could be fed a vegan eating regimen and be healthful. I take place to think of it extremely is stupid, yet despite. Cats can't. Cats would desire to consume meat. I call it a private determination. once you're vegan and can't manage the belief of feeding your puppy meat, then you definately have not got any organization possessing a puppy. a minimum of no longer a carnivorous puppy. possibly a fowl is extra your speed. of direction, you are able to completely get removed from production facility farmed meat and purchase domestically farmed puppy meals. all the butcher shops right here slaughter animals on farms in simple terms out of city and that all of them sell the little wobbly bits for puppy nutrition, besides as bones for canines. i'm no longer fullyyt specific I made any style of factor right here... i'm drained and have a chilly. it extremely is my excuse.

2016-10-11 05:45:01 · answer #4 · answered by dolme 4 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers