Remember the children's verse?
Read the fascinating history of how this poem came to be.
Here's a scary excerpt about "Frankenfood" from an admittedly
conservative source, the April 1998 Newsletter from the
Northern Vegetarian Society,
entitled "Ladybird,
Quickly, Fly Away Home" by Claire Gilbert,
Ph.D.:
"Some ladybugs in Scotland have become very important this
week because they may be the first proof that non-target species can be harmed by
transgenic crops. Transgenic bio-engineering involves inserting genes into one species
from another in order to gain some advantage.
Ladybugs -- or "ladybirds" if you are European -- have always been considered
friendly insects in the garden and on the farm. They eat many insects that are
harmful to crops and flowers. Ladybugs are part of the natural system.
The life span of ladybugs was reduced to half when they ate aphids that had fed on
genetically altered potatoes in Scotland, according to a London Time article (10/22/79) by
Science Editor, Nigel Hawkes. The ladybugs also laid fewer eggs.
Fears of genetic engineering critics were fanned by the news that ladybugs were damaged by
eating insects feeding on altered potatoes. Among the critics' concerns are: that
non-target organisms may be affected by pesticide genes put into plants; that beneficial
insects might be harmed; that unknown consequences may occur; and that ecosystems may be
damaged.
Richard Wolfson, Ph.D., of Ottawa, says that genetically engineered potatoes and corn
produce their own pesticide. These vegetables, now on the market, contain a bacterial gene
normally found in soil, called "bacillus thuringiensis," or Bt. In altered
potatoes and corn, Bt creates a toxin in the plant itself to kill insects.
Agronomists are concerned that by making Bt an integral part of plants, the evolution of
Bt resistant insect will speed up enormously. When used alone, as it occurs in
nature, Bt is considered among the safest insect controllers.
The effects on humans of eating altered crops which contain Bt is unknown. The companies
which have pioneered in inserting foreign genes into plants have successfully made the
claim to regulatory agencies that the food plants are substantially equivalent to
unaltered ones. The companies have been able to fast-track their products to market,
bypassing lengthy safety testing.
Scientists in Scotland now urge caution in the introduction of genetically modified crops
after discovering that they could harm ladybugs. Nick Birch and a team from the
Scottish Crop Research Institute in Dundee are responsible for discovering the reduced
fertility and life span of the ladybugs.
The potato plant in question had been altered to produce a natural insecticide that
deterred aphids from eating them. Non-potato genetic material is inserted into
potatoes. While this did indeed discourage aphids, the reduction was not complete.
The number of aphids on the potatoes was reduced by only 50% so that ladybugs were needed
to eat the remaining aphids.
With the large number of transgenic crops being planted in the
U.S. and the rest of the world, many unforeseen consequences may be released. In the
annual report of the Institute, the team that worked on the ladybug research said the
deleterious effects on the ladybugs suggested that genetically altered crops could have
unexpected consequences."
Goes to show that it's hard to fool Mother Nature. Let's hear it for
more research and better labeling of this brave, new technology.
