That moment when you're against GMOs, but also really lonely.

You're right, and when it comes to GMOs it's the former. There has yet to be a single credible study that has found anything even remotely harmful about GMOs. There is a resounding consensus of evidence and opinion that they are safe for human consumption/the environment. Well that's nice, but it still doesn't mean that you can ignore the broad scientific consensus regarding the safety of GMOs.

Before I continue any further with this subject, understand that my perception of scientific consensus in this area is dated by about four or five years, which was when I spent some real time evaluating the issue.

With that said, the consensus is still undoubtedly based partly on limited and sometimes questionable data, though again the overall quality and volume of research has improved considerably in recent times.

So because you read something one time you've suddenly decided that the regulatory approval system for GMOs is corrupt? And why do you say that? There is a significant amount of literature available on every single commercially available variety.

Well, the regulatory approval system for just about everything else is egregiously corrupt in most of the world, so let's not pretend that a negative assumption in this case as a far fetched idea.

But let's test that assumption is true. I've picked a semi-random variety -- MON 87705 -- from a list. Let's see where that takes us. Search terms: "MON 87705" "MON87705" "MON-877Ø5-6" "Vistive Gold". PubMed: 1 economics article, Scholar: citations, news, descriptions, one assessment of the technical dossier. So, we're down to the documents submitted for regulatory approval. And odds are, both of us have consumed this variety in the past week.

Yes, that is possible, but in general GE varieties are chosen in favour because that isn't the case.

No, they're chosen in favor of their commercial viability, which means varieties with the highest mainstream demand from 1950-2000, or at the least varieties that are indistinguishable from these to the buyer.

This means that, for instance, if sweet potato consumption had been limited to some remote corner of the world, we may have had no qualms overseeing their extinction in favor of russets.

Are you implying that this is an issue, or...? No. I'm implying that it's an unutilized opportunity.

You're speaking apologetic for a study that is universally recognized in the scientific community as fear-mongering garbage.

The scientific community has critical but mixed opinions on the study. The best suggestion is for the study to be repeated with a proper design. The study raised multiple questions unrelated to its conclusion.

Are you referring to any specific study? And, as I said this isn't an issue specific to biotechnology... and given that 99% of the pesticides we're exposed to on foods are natural ones produced by the plants themselves and that pesticide use in organic farming isn't even regulated/tracked, I'd say that the issue is largely with other areas of agriculture, not biotechnology. Firstly, you're insinuating that GMOs aren't sufficiently tested, which is completely false. Secondly, that's absurd. There are hundreds of varieties created by blasting seeds with radiation, blindly cross-breeding them with other varieties, and many other methods that are extremely precise compared to genetic engineering. Just because something's made in a lab doesn't automatically mean that it's dangerous/less safe that any "natural" counterparts. That's a fallacy.

A lot of your comments revolve around the premise that I'm somehow under the impression that "natural" or "organic" or "conventionally modified" or other fanciful concepts are somehow healthy or healthier by default. This is not true.

However, as we reach a point where two or three splintered subsets of a single variety become the only economically viable choice, we are approaching unexplored territory the importance of demonstrating safety is paramount, particularly when profit motives are at play.

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