[leps-talk] The Bt debate--take a cautious view

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

En un mensaje con fecha 02/13/2002 11:48:10 AM Central Standard Time, 
drdn at mail.utexas.edu escribe:

<< Remember those 
 Scottish rats that ate the Snowdrop-potatoes. >>

Yes, I remember the rats you are apparently speaking about.  I think they 
were actually Aberdeenese rats.  On purpose a gene producing the toxin was 
spliced into the potatoes, and it actually worked as intended, killing the 
rats.  An easier example might be "Remember the Bt corn that was fed to Corn 
borers?  It killed them."  The rats, also, (wow, man, a miracle) they died 
from eating poison.  

Remember when you used cyanide?  Did anything die when you used it?  Were you 
surprised at the news that it died?  Or was the skull and crossbones not 
evident on the label? 

(Sorry for the sarcasm, but in all fairness I think it is the appropriate 
response to that issue regurgitated again - that was one media story out of 
control which was caused by unleashed emotion and nothing more, unless you 
consider the sour grapes of the researcher who lost his job over bad science. 
 If you check the archives of Leps-L you I think you could find my summary of 
that situation.) 

Playing with fire in Monterrey,
Doug Dawn

 
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