Mutant Foods !!!!!!!

We've all heard the narrative. GMOs are bad. It's comfortable to believe... and how can us tinkering with a crops genes be anything but awful? Today, you'll get some context for why this might be wrong.

GMOs are evolution, but accelerated. Scientists select genes, and transplant them to give crops specific traits. This can be for size, and flavor or insect resistence. Humans have done this (primatively) for thousands of years... just look at pugs.

20-40% of all crops go bad before due to disease and pest. GMOs offer the tools to combat that loss.

While you're thinking about GMOs keep two things in mind. Farmers care about reduced inputs and increased outputs. To support the human population growth over the next decades, humanity must produce 50% more food by 2050.

1 Company - Monsanto (Now Bayer)

Monsanto was a chemical company, which has evolved to a biotechnology company. They created chemical products like Round Up and Agent Orange, but moved to a biotech model in the 80s. The company was the first to modify plant cells and crops. They picked these techniques up from the world of drug discovery, which is pretty cool.

Monsanto is one of the more controversial companies out there. They've definitely done some deplorable things (sold cancer causing solutions and more). But, they've developed lines of seeds that have changed farming.

One example are their Bt crops. Monsanto has taken specific proteins from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria and applied them to corn and cotton crops. These proteins are digestable by mammals, but not the worms that destroy crops. (Link for science)

The USDA stated that between 1995 and 2010, the amount of pesticide used per acre of corn decreased by 99%. Insecticide use on cotton crops decreased by about 95%. This applies to both Bt and non-Bt crops. We can agree that is good.

While they're a tough company to choose as the representatives for GMOs, Monsanto are pioneers in the space. The company were the first to apply genetic engineering to plants, and sell most GMO seeds today.

2 Facts

The world hasn't widely accepted GMOs... yet.

The chart below is from the 2015 National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report on Genetically Engineered Crops. When combined with data from OEC, it shows the worlds largest exporters of corn it is clear that countries that export more are using GMO crops. While this isn't the best data, it shows that nations that produce GMO crops are compounding their advantages.

China has also begun allowing imports of Genetically Modified Corn and Soy from Brazil. This shows that global acceptance is growing.

Most Genetically Engineered traits and crops are not in commercial production.

The main exceptions here are herbicide and insect resistant varieties. Most GE crops never make it out of the lab. Regulation is strict and helps keep consumers safe from science experiments that could go wrong. But, where is the line between protection and helicoptering.

3 Articles

Synthetic Biology Opportunities

Synthetic Biology is a type of genetic engineering, where biologists create systems that do not occur in nature. We can now upgrade more complete biological systems than ever before, and we can do it faster.

This paper outlines 4 major opportunities for Synthetic Biology in agriculture; pest insects, Fungal diseases, improvement of resource use, and nutrient acquisition. Each of these improve crop yields for farmers.

As mentioned before, farmers care about lower input and higher output. Their operating margins are very thin. Farmers should have the option to use the most advanced technologies to improve their yields (as long as the products are safe).

Why people are against GMOs

GMOs are this kind of strange beast that have massive potential to change agriculture, but have popular opinion as an obstacle. Europe has seen a moratorium on GMOs because of public support, which has even extended to import tariffs. This is the case, even though the research shows that there are no harmful effects to their usage (WHO has stated this should be done on a crop by crop basis rather than generalized).

The paper argues that we are not able to make objective judgements on non-intuitive topics. It names folk biology, religious intuitions, and emotions, as the reasons so many are against GMOs.

Myths and Realities about GMOs

(Link to PDF)

This is a fascinating risk analysis of GMOs. It addresses; the regulatory frameworks, myths, applications, and the future of the technology.

The big risk is that we don't have long term studies to guide our decision making on GMOs. Who knows what could actually be the case in 50 years time.

This paper was the most balanced overview of GMOs, with case studies. If the topic is interesting, this is a great place to start.