You are what you eat.
By xParanoiax
@xParanoiax (6987)
United States
July 5, 2007 5:01pm CST
Did you know that for the past ten years or so, most of your veggies that you buy from the store have been transgenics?
What's transgenics? Well transgenics are living things whose genes have been modified or spliced to achieve a certain result.
Just google 'trangenics', 'genetically modified/enhanced'..and you'll come up with loads of articles on it. This science is not only being used for human food, but pet and farm animal food, medica science..you name it, they're doing it.
Now..I'm no expert, but I've made an eduated guess on why the bee population is low.
Transgenic crops are herbicide resistant. So farmers can spray their crops to get rid of any other plants growing around their plants.These other plants are often what attracts and feeds bees..plants which are considered weeds by most people..like clover, or dandelion..which honey bees especially love. So with this drastic cutdown of food..bees have been flourishing alot less than they used to be.
Why now? I expect that technology and transgenics and herbicides have gotten effective enough.
Yeah..it sounds like something out of science fiction, doesn't it? It reminds me of one of my favorite shows growing up, Dark Angel..about a transgenic girl who was created to be a super soldier. Admittedly they've not done much with people yet, but they're beginning to mvoe from plants..to animals. It's just what it reminds me of.
And I mean..we live in a world of wonders. Wireless energy, human microchipping, bio-houses which both heat and cool themselves without the use of technology or fuels.
This is the stuff we only dreamed about, not that many years ago. Read in books and watched on tv..and slowly, it seems to becoming real. I mean heck, I read about some scientists working on creating a time machine a couple months ago!
It sure is an odd place we live in.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Juanamomof5 (429)
• United States
5 Jul 07
I worked in a tomato greenhouse that grew tomatoes that never touched the soil. They are grown using some sort of insulation with chems and water. It is sad to see and the truth be told they don't know for sure what side effects they have.
@Willowlady (10657)
• United States
6 Jul 07
It is a shame that we are living in a world where we have to question everything that goes into our mouths. Would be best to grow our own. If only more could and would want to. We have to make the best of this and yet I don't know how we will. Some improvements are possible good for us. That still also remains to be seen. Just mixing things from animal to plant and vice versa seems so unnatural that it cannot be a good thing. Will be neat to see what anyone else has to say.
2 people like this
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
7 Jul 07
I really haven't done any research on transgenics...need to tho. It's hard telling what we are eating that could be killing us...or worse possibly be transmitted to the next generation via conception/birth.
I agree that science is amazing, but scary at the same time. They didn't know what the side effects of asbestos would be, but they used it anyway, causing millions of long, drawn out, suffering deaths...and class-action suits.
I can remember when my parents freaked because I was too close to the TV one time. I was 5, I didn't understand radiation. It's all around us now, every day, almost everywhere we go. I've not heard of any studies or results thereof (doesn't mean there aren't any) concerning long-term side effects of years of radiation from boob tubes (would monitors emit the same radiation?) and microwave ovens.
I'm running off topic, as usual, lol.
Back to transgenics. I would not be a bit surprised if transgenics and weed-killing chemicals are not the cause of the loss of bee population recently. Last time I heard, beekeepers were reporting a 40% loss on their over normal population. Many have tried moving their hives to other parts of the country to no avail--their bees are still dying off. Whatever it is is eating them up internally.
This article from Boulder Weekly gives different figures (that "last time I heard" wasn't sitting right with me, so I looked up an article), but supports that herbicides are a part of the problem.
http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/052203/coverstory.html
Apparently, this has been going on a lot longer than I was aware of. Since the 90's...and the majority of citizens are just hearing about it nationwide?
Transgenics is now on my never-ending to-do list.
Ciao for now, I'm having a slacker's evening...doing whatever I feel like, and hardly working at all :D
Happy Friday.
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
7 Jul 07
Not to mention the possible effects of transgenics on our environment, let alone bees.
If bees do end up being one of the species seriously hurt by transgenics, it is definite that most of humanity's food supply would eventually become dependant completely on whatever genetic soup plant and animals they come up with..few would actually be able to grow and raise their own organic and one hundred percent non-meddled with crops and livestock anymore, or wish to.
Which is a nightmare, which I hope we never go to. I mean..goodness, think of a world with few domestic or farm animals which weren't grown from a test-tube?
In a way, it's fascinating to think of what they could come with..like the mixtures of completely NEW animals they could come up with..a spider-cat? A soft and non-prickly porcupine? They could make dozens and dozens of pets which would be cute and fascinating..and a whole new realm of creatures to learn about, but then again..that technology too could be abused. Imagine the monsters they could create someday too..
Anyway, I'm just beginning my research on trasngenics ^_^ it's being added to my aver long list of studies these days as well.
I wouldn't be surprised if eventually they came out with a brand new super-bee, resistant to all pesticides and herbicides..
