Genetically Modified With Human Genes - Will You Eat It?

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In my opinion, the genetic modification of food is not right. Not labeling food as genetically modified has been a concern for some time now. But, when they start adding human genes to my food, I think they are going way too far!

What's your opinion? Will you eat it if you know it is modified with human genes? Should the government require labeling of modified foods?

Quote:

GM industry puts human gene into rice
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
24 April 2005

Scientists have begun putting genes from human beings into food crops in a dramatic extension of genetic modification. The move, which is causing disgust and revulsion among critics, is bound to strengthen accusations that GM technology is creating "Frankenstein foods" and drive the controversy surrounding it to new heights.

Even before this development, many people, including Prince Charles, have opposed the technology on the grounds that it is playing God by creating unnatural combinations of living things.

Environmentalists say that no one will want to eat the partially human-derived food because it will smack of cannibalism.

But supporters say that the controversial new departure presents no ethical problems and could bring environmental benefits.

In the first modification of its kind, Japanese researchers have inserted a gene from the human liver into rice to enable it to digest pesticides and industrial chemicals. The gene makes an enzyme, code-named CPY2B6, which is particularly good at breaking down harmful chemicals in the body.

Present GM crops are modified with genes from bacteria to make them tolerate herbicides, so that they are not harmed when fields are sprayed to kill weeds. But most of them are only able to deal with a single herbicide, which means that it has to be used over and over again, allowing weeds to build up resistance to it.

But the researchers at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Tsukuba, north of Tokyo, have found that adding the human touch gave the rice immunity to 13 different herbicides. This would mean that weeds could be kept down by constantly changing the chemicals used...

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This site has thousands of news article related to genetically modified foods.

http://www.gmfoodnews.com/

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Does that mean we are eating other humans or parts of humans??

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They are talking about Human genes that have been added to the food (rice) that will evidently alter our digestive system so that we can better breakdown pesticides.

Yummy, huh?

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Intellectually, I have no problem with the idea. A single gene hardly equates with cannibalism.

Emotionally, however, I dislike it.

They should really consider using a gene from a different species....

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Crazielady420 wrote:

Does that mean we are eating other humans or parts of humans??

It's meat. I know people freak out about cannibalism but other species eat each other and we eat other species so why it is so bad to eat our own?

Just curious why we are so put off by the thought. Like the whole Donner party thing. They were dead. It wasn't like they were murdered. What was the big deal?

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My problem is one of unintended consequences. The problem with genetically altered crops, human or otherwise, is that they do not stay isolated. Seeds spread and mix with other crops and change in ways that we don't control. So, what if it turns out that they have some unforseen effect on the human body that is not desirable? How would we undo it?

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Would I eat it? Sure.

It's a human gene... I've already got it. What is there to worry about?

Bella Dea wrote:

so why it is so bad to eat our own?

Disease. We can't catch cow, sheep or pig diseases very easily but if the person you're eating is sick, you will be too.

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watchmakers guidedog wrote:

Would I eat it? Sure.

It's a human gene... I've already got it. What is there to worry about?

Bella Dea wrote:
so why it is so bad to eat our own?

Disease. We can't catch cow, sheep or pig diseases very easily but if the person you're eating is sick, you will be too.

See that isn't the reason most people would give though. Most people wouldn't get that far in reasoning why they wouldn't eat another human.

It repulses me as well and I don't know if I could do it but it also intrigues me as to why I wouldn't. Moral objection?

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My problem isn't with it being a human gene re: cannabalism. My problem is, as Freeduck said, that it is designed to alter OUR bodies and who knows what that can lead to!

They want to alter my body so I can better digest pesticides??? That's insane!

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"It's not nice to fool Mother Nature"

An old ad campaign that certainly applies here.

Why don't these researchers/scientists? utilize their time to develop ways of growing food that doesn't require the use of pesticides.....just a thought.

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They've been working on that, rodeman. Specifically making edible plants resistant to RoundUp so that weeds die but the food doesn't. However, we are the ones that are then ingesting the food sprayed with Roundup. Big push from th chemical companies going on for this to take place.

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squinney wrote:

My problem isn't with it being a human gene re: cannabalism. My problem is, as Freeduck said, that it is designed to alter OUR bodies and who knows what that can lead to!

Excuse me but are you reading a different article than me... where precisely does the article say it's designed to modify the human body? Could you please quote the section where it says that because I can't find it anywhere.

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Quote:

In the first modification of its kind, Japanese researchers have inserted a gene from the human liver into rice to enable it to digest pesticides and industrial chemicals. The gene makes an enzyme, code-named CPY2B6, which is particularly good at breaking down harmful chemicals in the body.

Are you sure you read that part of what was posted? The rice is altered. A human gene is inserted. The 'new' rice is then able to 'digest' pesticides and chemicals.

Hmm... When I read it my first thought was, sure, good for me. I feel with the poor rice, but, hey, he'll do the work. And I'll have pesticide/chemical-free food....

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How about a gene to stop premature balding or allow the liver to easily and harmlessly metabolize large amounts of alcohol? Or to make breasts give chocolate milk? Can't we use science to do something positive once in awhile?

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Possibly, but we would have to grow you anew, bvt.

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I am concerned about the human gene aspect, but no more than I am about GMO's in general. Many scientists admit that there is no way of knowing what these crops will do in the long term. I read a quote from a scientist who said that basically the U.S. population is now an uncontrolled study of the effects of these foods on future generations. There has been no evaluation of what impact these gene-spliced things might have.

The possible effects of introducing these crops into the environment are worrying enough. Cross-pollination with normal crops is an obvious concern. We've made so many mistakes in introducing non-native species into new habitats where they destroy native species; it seems to me this has every possibility of being the same type of problem on an entirely new scale. There are many very good reasons why the EU is looking at banning GMO's. The United States is ignoring the warnings of responsible scientists in favor of the quick fix, as usual.

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This has been happening for centuries, the only idfference is that we are speeding up the process. Have any of you ever seen corn that was around when the white man arrived. It was short and not very ediable. (sp)

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Quote:

How about a gene to stop premature balding or allow the liver to easily and harmlessly metabolize large amounts of alcohol? Or to make breasts give chocolate milk? Can't we use science to do something positive once in awhile?

Its thinking and asking of the hard questions that keep me coming back here day after day.
So if a baseball player eats the rice, would he violate the MLB drug policy concerning human growth hormones?

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Baldimo wrote:

This has been happening for centuries, the only idfference is that we are speeding up the process. Have any of you ever seen corn that was around when the white man arrived. It was short and not very ediable. (sp)

the correct term is maize, and it was sufficiently nutritious, not to mention edible, to be the staple crop of the Inca & Aztec civilizations. the industrialization of Europe would have taken much longer if not for New World crops like potatoes and maize that could be grown in more marginal conditions than wheat for instance, and thus support a larger pool of labor for factories.

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Genetically Modified With Human Genes - Will You Eat It?

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