New study finds butterflies unharmed by GMO corn

[Stelenes at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/7/00 2:11:32 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
jbwalsh at u.arizona.edu writes:

>  so tasty now see a little odd?
>  
>  By the way, as you no doubt know, maize has been extensively modified ---
>  ever see a teosinte plant?
>  
>  Peace
>  
>  bruce

Not to mention that broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower (among others) are all 
from the species which looked like a sickly asparagus stalk in recent 
generations.  Or that in the last few hundred years breeders have taken ripe 
green berries smaller than blueberries and turned them into beefsteak 
tomatos.  Or that all sweet peppers used to be hot hot hot chilis until the 
Italians got hold of them in the 1700's or so.  Or that strawberries can't 
even propogate by seed anymore thanks to breeding intervention (the outer 
seeds that stick in our teeth are about as useful to the strawberry as our 
appendix to us), garlic is not propagated by seed either, carrots were 
mutated to make them orange (not by modern GMO techniques), lessee..."good" 
(but wierd to most of us) potato seeds are really only available from a 
reseach institute in Peru where the potatos was developed originally as you 
know it, and Linus from the Peanuts gang grew up and made Great Pumpkins as 
big as they are now (OK, the last one might not be true, it is humor).  While 
onions are still grown from seeds, (Unlike Hops vines and grapes, some of 
which don't even have seeds, i.e. seedless!!!), what possible benefit do 2 
pound onions have to the plant with the Pungency bred out.  They are 
available form more than Vidalia GA, I assure you..., How 'bout the seedless 
watermelons?  What could be more unnatural?  I don't know much about stone 
fruits, but peaches, apricots, nectarines are probably thanks to man's (and 
women's) intervention,  If great-Grandpa saw the goods, he would truly think 
he were on another planet.  Like Cavandish bananas really came that size, my 
crab apple tree's fruit is pretty lame.  See the new white eggplant's?  What 
color do you think the "original" eggplant was?  Seen a Pomelo lately (Back 
to the future....), I won't mention corn since Bruce has it covered, and I 
can't think of any other veggies at the moment or they'd be included as well. 
 Of course no pig genes were cut and pasted to get any of the above.  Just 
old fashioned farming, a bit of science and a lot of serendipity.  Hey give 
farmer's the credit they deserve.  They've been squeezed by everyone and 
still grow dinner....

Happy Butterflying.
Doug Dawn.
Woodland, CA
(where apricots are peaking)