i am not trying to suggest that transgenic manipulation of crops or anything else can never lead to problems. new technologies tend to create new problems. they also tend to outstrip the pace of thoughtful regulatory legislation. what i am suggesting is that the fear surrounding transgenics is wildly out of proportion with the actual potential for harm, stemming what I see as an almost complete misunderstanding of the biology behind the tech. transgenic constructs are much more complicated than say a steam engine, and so consequently fewer people are able to fully grasp what is going on. some people might think that is a bad thing in itself, but unfortunately that's how technology progresses in general. this lack of understanding has create a vacuum that has been filled by misinformation and propaganda.
my university is well known for its leftist thinking, and I consider myself to be far to the left of the median in America. but I soundly reject those on the left, especially on the fringe, who say that GMOs need to be stopped. in my mind, without GMO crops, we can never hope to feed the masses. even borlaug said organic farming can only feed ~4 billion, and the fertilizers/pesticides we currently use on non-GMO (and even current 1st gen GMOs)represent an unsustainable form of agriculture. thus, I think future, baller GMOs will save the planet.
