No More Teary Onion, Thanks to Genetic Engineering

The blog, Rael the Prophet, reports on an article in the UK Telegraph about a research on a genetically engineered tear-free onion being collaboratively conducted by researchers from Japan and the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research. We're all aware how teary an onion can be if mishandled when chopping. To men and women who spend considerable amounts of time cooking, this, definitely is news worth celebrating.

In addition to ridding onion of the gene that causes teary effects on our eyes, these researchers promise that this new variety will be sweeter and healthier.

What an exciting research? Indeed, it has generated quite a buzz. The journal Onion World, in its December edition, has featured this work, which is being piloted by Dr. Colin Eady. The popular environmental blog Environmental Grafita gleefully proclaims, GM onions means no more tears, with sarcasm:

Anti-GMO activists may soon be tearing up after a New Zealand company announced the development of a genetically modified tear free onion.

I can't also wait to see their [anti-biotech activists] reactions. Instead of inserting a foreign gene into the onion, which has been the practice in crop genetic engineering, researchers in this project will be working to suppress the gene that makes onions teary.

The key is not to introduce a foreign gene but to silence one using a phenomenon called RNA interference. By stopping sulphur compounds from being converted to the tearing agent and redirecting them into compounds responsible for flavour and health, the process could even improve the onion.

So, which direction will the debate on safety of this new onion variety take? We're always told there's no guarantee of safety of genes inserted into crops such as corn, cotton, or soya. Will the anti-biotech groups now claim removing a gene from a crop, and onion onion for that matter, will compromise human health and the environment? Let's wait for the debate to start.

James Wachai specializes in agricultural biotechnology communication.

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Genetic Engineering, Pesticides And Your Health

We know that GE crops are contaminating conventional and organic crops. We know GE products are making their way, directly or indirectly, onto our plates. So, until regulations catch up to the reality (and if it's not too late to save our food supply by then), there are two main things we, as consumers, can do. First, we must speak out to our representatives and make our voices heard so that businesses do not flourish at the expense of human welfare and irreparable damage to our food supply and environment. Second, we must educate ourselves on the health issues related to GE products, so that we can each make our own best decisions about what we purchase and eat, and by extension, which companies we support through our consumerism.

To that end, I spoke recently with molecular biologist, Dr. Kevin Nash, and asked him what, if any concerns he had about the health impact of eating GE products. According to Dr. Nash, "We eat DNA all the time in any plant, animal or fungi material. We cannot incorporate, only digest, genetic material from other sources. The product of that gene manipulation can cause a problem [for example, in the case of] modified plants to restrict bugs and disease. This may be the production of a natural pesticide; and pesticides are not necessarily good for us in large doses." So, while human DNA is arguably safe from ingesting the GE products themselves, the main concern with GE crops becomes exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, the ingestion of which does pose a significant health risk and can endanger human DNA according to Dr. Nash.

Of course, herbicides and pesticides are nothing new in crop production. What is new is the growth of herbicide-resistant weeds, which have cropped up as a result of the unchecked growth (and spreading) of GE alfalfa among other GE crops. In particular, according to a recent report, "The spread of pollen and seed from Monsanto-made, genetically engineered (GE) RoundUp Ready alfalfa into non-GE commercial and organic alfalfa crops might eliminate the U.S. supply of organic alfalfa and lead to overuse of potentially toxic glyphosate-based herbicides, said organic interest groups such as the Center for Food Safety, the Northeast Organic Farming Association and the National Organic Coalition."

The end result is that glyphosate-tolerant (GT) weeds have appeared as a by-product of the GE alfalfa contaminating simple weeds. This means that, in order to rid their fields of those weeds, farmers now have to use more chemicals, and more dangerous chemicals, to fight these so-called "superweeds." Ultimately, that means more chemicals in our soil, our air, our foods, and our bodies. And, of course, when fields have been contaminated with these weeds and with GE alfalfa, farmers cannot sell their alfalfa as "organic" because it no longer meets the criteria, thus losing money when they sell this product as a conventional, rather than organic, crop.

When part of the reason many of us choose to eat organics is to avoid pesticides and other chemicals, the idea that organic farmers are unprotected in their efforts to keep their land clear of GE and GT seeds, and are bearing the cost themselves when their crops do become infected, is odious to say the least. And of course, ultimately, those of us choosing organics will pay the price in our health and our wallets. As organic farmers struggle against the pollution of their land by nearby GE farming, making their once-organic seeds grow into crops that don't meet the "organic" guidelines, the prices of organics will continue to go up, and fewer people will be able to afford to eat organic.

This ultimately means we will be exposed to GE crops or the chemicals needed to keep them at bay. And none of it has to be labeled, so we truly won't even know what we're eating. So it is time for us to speak out, write our representatives, and be sure to keep buying organics and support organic farmers by buying non-food products from companies using organic materials whenever possible.

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Understanding Genetic Engineering And Online Bookstores In India

The beginning of the 21st century has heralded a series of transformational breakthroughs sweeping changes stirring practically every function of human life. Its influence has been felt all across the globe. Growing population in countries like India has necessitated the need to introduce interventions to enhance superiority touching every aspect of life, improve livestock, medicine and perk up quality and quantity of food. One of the interventions of paramount importance for the past few years has been on the study of gene. Gene is the basic unit of life and controls every piece of life whether in structure and function. Organisms are nothing but the by product of their genetic makeup. Any deviation from the normal is the reflection of defect in the genetic arrangement in that organism. Concurrently the defect can be corrected by altering the flawed array and subjecting it into a normal state. This property of altering the genetic makeup by maneuvers called genetic engineering is well explored by researchers in agriculture, animal husbandry, medicine and is challenging the traditional way of treatments.

Geneticists studying inheritance at molecular level have learnt to cut, splice and insert genes into organisms and read its impact. The organisms that contain and express foreign genes are popularly called genetically modified organisms or GMO. The technique utilized to cut, splice and insert gene is called genetic engineering. It makes use of tools which are enzymes. Restriction enzymes are the genetic scissors which cut the gene from superior organism and insert into recipient from which the defective gene has been removed using the same enzyme. Insertion is enabled using ligase which is the genetic glue. This technique is extended as gene therapy and is used to cure fatal diseases like diabetes, cancer, several human genetic disorders as color blindness, sickle cell anemia etc.

Research in India has focused on the bacterium Bacillus thuringienses. A gene namely Cry AC 1 in this bacterium codes for an endotoxin which is repellent to bollworms and other insects. This specific gene is incorporated in cotton plant making it insect and bollworm repellent so that it inherently wards off these pathogens from attack. This has eliminated the need for application of chemicals and fertilizers and reduced financial burden on the farmer multifold. This GMO cotton is popular in India as Bt Cotton and has ignited much debate hers from the opposing lobbies. Similarly GMO tomatoes in India are in vogue as Flavor Savr characterized by delayed ripening and better shelf life besides superior taste and increased solid soluble. Here the gene coding for enzyme polygalactourinase is lifted. This enzyme causes cell wall ripening making tomatoes soft and pulpy. Furthermore GMO pigs are subjected to human genes so that their organs carry human antigens and are not rejected following transplantation.

The seeds of Pentadiplandra brazzeanae are 2000 times sweeter than sugar. The desired gene coding for this plant are inserted into corn. The isolation, treatment and extraction of sugar from its kernels serves as a better sweeter than the synthetic ones. These are only a few examples of Genetic engineering. Its concepts and applications can be understood in a better way through books penned on the subject and sold with every bookstore in India. With e-commerce and i-shopping now extended to Indian soil these books can be located and their shopping enabled courtesy online bookstores in India.

Rosy Vohra works for online bookstore India

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Genetically Modified Foods in America | Health Documentary

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. GMOs are the source of genetically modified foods, and are also widely used in scientific research and to produce goods other than food. The term GMO is very close to the technical legal term, 'living modified organism' defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which regulates international trade in living GMOs (specifically, "any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology"). This article focuses on what organisms have been genetically engineered, and for what purposes. The article on genetic engineering focuses on the history and methods of genetic engineering, and on applications of genetic engineering and of GMOs. Both articles cover much of the same ground but with different organizations (sorted by organism in this article; sorted by application in the other). There are separate articles on genetically modified crops, genetically modified food, regulation of the release of genetic modified organisms, and controversies.

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