Re:This just in (Score 1)

well, the parent might be scored -1, but it is still true... the technology of recombinant DNA, and the production of transgenic plants is quite new, but breeding has been going on since the beginning of agriculture, and it has had profound effects on the genetic make-up of crop plants. It is possible that a lower nicotine-producing tobacco could be acheived through "traditional" breading practices. There are also many newer techniques, but either way, you have a tobacco that does not have a functional nicotine production system. The interesting thing that I did not see in the article, is what pleiotropic effects knocking out nicotine had. Then again, those things excite me. :)