DIY GMO

[SFJoe]

My old pals will recall that I don't much recoil in horror at GMO's in principle, though specific applications may be good or bad.

I view domesticated crops as highly genetically modified by traditional breeding and don't see a necessary difference between traditional breeding and selection and fancier methods, though again there may be important things lurking in the details.

One of the reasons to think this is the amount of genome shuffling that has gone on between distantly related lineages throughout all of evolution on this planet. It's hard to get too serious about the sanctity of genomes.

Anyhow, an interesting recent report about a DIY GMO. Aphids have incorporated a whole biosynthetic pathway from fungi to let them change color. If you don't like your genome, get out there and do something about it!

Here:

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www.sciencemag.org

And here:

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arthropoda.wordpress.com

 

[MLipton]

originally posted by SFJoe:
DIY GMOMy old pals will recall that I don't much recoil in horror at GMO's in principle, though specific applications may be good or bad.

I view domesticated crops as highly genetically modified by traditional breeding and don't see a necessary difference between traditional breeding and selection and fancier methods, though again there may be important things lurking in the details.

One of the reasons to think this is the amount of genome shuffling that has gone on between distantly related lineages throughout all of evolution on this planet. It's hard to get too serious about the sanctity of genomes.

Anyhow, an interesting recent report about a DIY GMO. Aphids have incorporated a whole biosynthetic pathway from fungi to let them change color. If you don't like your genome, get out there and do something about it!

Here:

Loading…

www.sciencemag.org

And here:

Loading…

arthropoda.wordpress.com

Yeah, fascinating article, that. I still think that the Law of Unintended Consequences should be taken into careful consideration when inserting e.g. B.t. genes into maize.

Mark Lipton

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by MLipton:

Yeah, fascinating article, that. I still think that the Law of Unintended Consequences should be taken into careful consideration when inserting e.g. B.t. genes into maize.

Or the Law of Totally Foreseeable Consequences, in that case.

Might have been nice if they had inducible expression, that could have kept it working a lot longer.