Valter Hilden <vhil
...@infolink.com.br> writes:
>Kristian Sigvardsen wrote:
>> Gimme a break you guys! Direct genetic modifications in food has
>>been around for over twenty years now.
>What about _indirect_ genetic modification of food? It has been around
>since the first living being ate another living being, perhaps 1G year
>ago. Intentional genetic modifications have been around since humans
>started selecting seeds, maybe 10k years. The only difference to genetic
>engineering is the efficiency with which the process is conducted.
That's not an "only" difference. The size and effects of that
difference is not at all understood yet.
>Another efficiency jump will come when we start creating synthetic
>genes. IBM has started designing a "petaflops" computer (capable of 1e15
>floating point operations per second) for protein folding studies. Be
>prepared for the "dangers of nano-engineered living beings" debate.
>Frankensteinphobia will never die.
Neither will simplistic and dismissive reactions to valid concerns.
It seems that there's never any shortage of overstated arguments on
any side of a debate.
Bearpaw
--
~~~~~~~~~~~ bear...@aq.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A rising tide lifts all boats." Of course, if you can't afford a
boat, a rising tide just puts you in deeper water.
