Transgenic milk

[Foxbat]

I've always been on the fence about genetic modification but now I'm starting to see the advantages. I recently watched an article on TV about transgenic goats. These are animals that were modified at the embryo stage by adding some human DNA.

It might sound a bit Frankenstein but here's a few things to consider. Goat milk is the most consumed in the world. Diarrhea is a big killer of children in developing countries and many of those that survive are left with serious health problems. Human breast milk has an enzyme great antibacterial properties. What the human DNA does is modify the goat to produce much more of the critical enzyme. This, it is hoped, will provide greater resistance for children consuming this milk. It's often the case that gene editing is looked upon with horror but maybe we need to have a more open minded approach especially if it can help save the lives of thousands of children across the world.

Here's an article I've found (not the one I watched but pretty similar in content).

Transgenic Goat's Milk Kicks Up Immunity

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[CupofJoe]

My problem with GM was that when it was first used, it was to promote resistance to insecticides in plants... There was no real gain except for the people selling the seed and the insecticide.

 

[.matthew.]

GM crops are an amazing advance. The people against them are generally those who seem to assume that we'd get by fine without them, which considering they are responsible for almost all agriculture (if you include those that are modified using 'natural' crossbreeding) seems a little foolish. We need them to survive. They are bred to be resistant to insects and insecticides, blights, and to produce greater quantities in less time or using less resources. Dwarf wheat alone saved like a billion lives.

We've been crossbreeding (mules, etc) and selectively breeding (domestication) animals for thousands of years. Modifying them on a genetic level simply provides more control and more possibilities. That can only be good for us.

The problems arise when we allow these to be copyrighted basically forever, or when they are designed to be sterile to essentially force a subscription service.

 

[Karn's Return]

People are scared of what they don't understand. Which is something I myself have never understood.


There's all sorts of issues that critics of GM will claim arises from the act, but honestly, I agree with you there, Matthew. If we lived the way such Luddites claim we should, we'd more likely than not all die by the age of forty and be starving.

 

[Danny McG]

The opener about GM milk brought this to mind again

NO CHANCE.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.sciencealert.com/scientists-think-we-should-start-drinking-cockroach-milk-superfood/amp

www.sffchronicles.com

 

[Foxbat]

I'd definitely baulk at cockroach milk but I think we have to grasp that our aversion to such things is purely cultural. Insects and such like are widely recognised as a great source of protein. On a personal note, I struggled when I first tried snails but now I quite like them.

The reality is the world is overpopulated and millions of people don't have access to clean water, food or sanitary conditions. I think if these people are to be given a chance at a decent life we need to explore every possibility no matter how much we may wish to hold our nose.

 

[Karn's Return]

That would include hydroponics and other technological advancements. I would dare say, even, AI.

 

[.matthew.]

Hydroponics is getting a fair shake, though still much more expensive to set up than a field.

AI, for what it is, is used all the time. One of the more creative cases woyld be using it to generate possible new medical drugs.