Greatest Man to Ever Live: Norman Borlaug

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090913/borlaug_obit_090...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Norman
• Borlaug
• Agricultural
• Scientist
• green
• revolution
• billion
• lives
• saved

[tarasthelordofprawns]

@Lywald

At what point exactly did the scientists claim that science is perfect? Granted, it isn't 100% accurate, and maybe (though the likeliness of this happening only decreasing as we gain better understanding of the science behind GM) there will be unexpected consequences. Whilsts negative outcomes might occur, refusing to utilize the technology that we possess in order to improve human life and feed the world is a silly idea to say the least, don't you think?

[EDD314614]

"It's pretty easy to protest when you're not hungry"

[myndy86]

@TheMalar Bt in GE crops are not the same as Bt spray. Bt in GE crops induce metabolic variations involving the primary nitrogen pathway, can make the crops expressing cry proteins phenotypically abnormal affecting growth and reproduction of the crops, high levels of nitrogen can significantly increase the level of cry proteins in the crops, increased potential for HGT, etc. compared to Bt spray, which is used less often than the 100% supposed expression in Bt crops and is more degradeable.

[TheMalar]

@myndy86 But natural pesticides from bacteria, not synthetic ones. That saves our health, our environment and resources needed to produce chemicals. That saves us a lot of money.

[myndy86]

@TheMalar Technically GE crops use more pesticides, etc., especially in comparison to organic. 100% of Bt crops are supposed to express cry proteins, in fact Bt crops themselves are classified as pesticides. So, if a conventional farmer doesn't have a pest problem they may not use pesticides but even if there was no pest problem Bt crops are always producing a pesticide. 52% of organic farmers use no pesticides whatsoever, they use virtually no herbicides and no synthetic fertilizers either.

[TheMalar]

@myndy86 OK, that I give you. But still I would say that the benefits greatly surpass the resistant weed problem. It sure beats using tons of more herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilisers. 

[myndy86]

@TheMalar However, for corn, etc. the problem is, previous to GE crops farmers may first use use glyphosate, and then use glufosinate to kill the remaining weeds that were resistant to glyphosate. GE crops are only resistant to a specific herbicide, let' s say glyphosate, so farmers would just use glyphosate and not risk harming their GE crop by using glufosinate. So, the glyphosate resistant weeds were allowed to survive, replicate and contaminate, causing a herbicide resistant weed problem.

[myndy86]

@TheMalar Not specifically corn, but GE canola "stable incorporation of genes from one differentiated gene pool into another, of an herbicide resistance transgene from Brassica napus into the gene pool of its weedy relative, Brassica rapa, monitored under natural commercial field conditions." ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/179710­90

[TheMalar]

@myndy86 How can corn make weeds resistant? It is hard to cross two different plant species in the lab, not to say on the field.

[myndy86]

@TheMalar GE corn can reproduce and contamination of Non-GE corn is constantly occurring. Terminator technology(stops plants from reproducing) is not currently being use. Farmers are forced to buy new seeds because in order to grow GE crops they must sign a contract that they will not save seeds. Herbicide resistant crops have caused herbicide resistant weeds. Previous to GE crops farmers rotated herbicides to stop resistance, GE crops do not allow for rotation increasing weed resistance.

[TheMalar]

@myndy86 As I heard the GM corn can't reproduce to not let farmers grow their own to keep them buying more, so how come they blame the GM crops for herbicide resistance in their crops? Gaining resistance is a evolutionary process, just like bacteria are getting resistant to antibiotic.

[DizLiKhmerKid]

you dress like an idiot and want people to take you seriously. fuck green peace