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rsclient t1_jd4l1pr wrote

Reply to comment by jackfaire in TIL that the Incans genetically modified and hybridized crops such as potatoes at sites like the Moray Terrace. by A_Generic_White_Guy

Here's my alternative point of view: GMO adds in radically different genes into a plant (famously, making goldfish glow-in-the-dark). This adds very substantially to the risks of GMOs compared to "mere" selective breeding

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[deleted] t1_jda38v4 wrote

[deleted]

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rsclient t1_jddg58f wrote

And by precise you mean both "add in the heat resistance gene" and also "add in a pesticide gene that kills bazillions of insects, but that's someone else's problem"

It's that second thing that's the problem. GMOs let the big agri businesses grab lots of profits while dumping all of the potential problems onto the common people.

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jackfaire t1_jd4v1nh wrote

The reverse is true. Selective breeding is "Hoping" the genes you want to become dominant do. GMO is knowing which ones will.

Selective breeding is to a saw removing a limb as GMOs are to a surgical scalpel removing gangrene. The latter technique allows you to be much more specific and to have more of an idea of what's going on.

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