if this gene
June 2, 2000 8:46 AM Subscribe
if this gene ever gets in kudzu, we're doomed
gee, is it any wonder they used *tobacco* as a test subject???
posted by cadence at 8:59 AM on June 2, 2000
posted by cadence at 8:59 AM on June 2, 2000
I wonder if it would have negative effects, e.g. a plant that grows faster but ends up providing less nutrition. But generally I have no fear of genetically modified food per se.
I can think of a few other crops that could use this, uh, modification. Be right back -- I have the munchies.
posted by dhartung at 11:01 AM on June 2, 2000
I can think of a few other crops that could use this, uh, modification. Be right back -- I have the munchies.
posted by dhartung at 11:01 AM on June 2, 2000
I think they use tobacco because it's an easy plant to genetically modify. Didn't they at one point put firefly genes into tobacco to make it glow?
posted by daveadams at 11:25 AM on June 2, 2000
posted by daveadams at 11:25 AM on June 2, 2000
dhartung:
I don't quite understand how it could have less nutrients.
Heh, I also don't understand how to speed up cell division, but from a (extrememly uneducated in these regards) layman's point of view, to make a cell split, you need a certain amount of energy, and I would think (but I'm just not capable! Oh. umm... ignore that) it would actually require more energy.
More energy = more nutrients = more nicotene = better rush. Where do I buy me a pack?
posted by cCranium at 11:40 AM on June 2, 2000
I don't quite understand how it could have less nutrients.
Heh, I also don't understand how to speed up cell division, but from a (extrememly uneducated in these regards) layman's point of view, to make a cell split, you need a certain amount of energy, and I would think (but I'm just not capable! Oh. umm... ignore that) it would actually require more energy.
More energy = more nutrients = more nicotene = better rush. Where do I buy me a pack?
posted by cCranium at 11:40 AM on June 2, 2000
funny you mention that firefly/tobacco plant. i actually just shot a few slides of an image of that *yesterday* - spent the afternoon shooting slides of crazy stuff out of books for a video projection project. oh, anyway, yeah, they did that. and any time the plant was hurt, it would glow. people can lay off genetically engineering MY food tho.
posted by cadence at 12:49 PM on June 2, 2000
posted by cadence at 12:49 PM on June 2, 2000
Work Is Safe, Say Scientists
Oh, well, in that case, I feel much better...from the fine folks who brought you Agent Orange, the Nuclear Bomb, and those weird packets that come in your shoes marked 'Do not eat' as if I was that hungry.
On an unrelated note, has anyone heard about the tobacco plant genetically altered to mine for copper?
posted by Ezrael at 2:04 PM on June 2, 2000
Oh, well, in that case, I feel much better...from the fine folks who brought you Agent Orange, the Nuclear Bomb, and those weird packets that come in your shoes marked 'Do not eat' as if I was that hungry.
On an unrelated note, has anyone heard about the tobacco plant genetically altered to mine for copper?
posted by Ezrael at 2:04 PM on June 2, 2000
I thought that the proper name for cells that were splitting faster and having more growth as a result was "cancer." Just the genes I want to inhale from my tobacco plant.
posted by elgoose at 3:29 PM on June 2, 2000
posted by elgoose at 3:29 PM on June 2, 2000
« Older The Brunching Shuttlecocks | Julia Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by harmful at 8:50 AM on June 2, 2000