[DIYbio] Re: PBS: Downloadable Gun Parts, Personalized Bioterror: the Downside of Innovation

Cancer kills slowly. 
GM plants are not under control, it's not possible to avoid them, and it's not known if they're unhealthy. 
How would the results of future GMO's differ from the result (the escape) of GM plants?

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We document the presence of two escaped, transgenic genotypes, as well as non-GE canola, and provide evidence of novel combinations of transgenic forms in the wild. Our results demonstrate that feral populations are large and widespread. Moreover, flowering times of escaped populations, as well as the fertile condition of the majority of collections suggest that these populations are established and persistent outside of cultivation.
...

Results

The escape of GE B. napus in North Dakota is extensive (Fig. 1). Brassica napus was present at 45% (288/634) of the road survey sampling sites. Of those, 80% (231/288) expressed at least one transgene: 41% (117/288) were positive for only CP4 EPSPS (glyphosate resistance); 39% (112/288) were positive for only PAT (glufosinate resistance); and 0.7% (2/288) expressed both forms of herbicide resistance, a phenotype not produced by seed companies (Table 1). Densities of B. napus plants at collection sites ranged from 0 to 30 plants m⁻² with an average of 0.3 plants m⁻². Among the archived specimens, 86.8% were sexually mature varying in developmental stage from flower bud to mature fruit with seeds. At the time of roadside sampling, in-field canola was non-flowering having matured to the 4-leaf to pre-bolting stage (JPL pers. obs.). This striking difference in flowering phenology suggests that flowering canola in roadside habitats may have originated from the previous generation's seed bank rather than from seed spill during the current growing season."""

The Establishment of Genetically Engineered Canola Populations in the U.S.

Schafer MG, Ross AA, Londo JP, Burdick CA, Lee EH, et al. (2011) The Establishment of Genetically Engineered Canola Populations in the U.S.. PLoS ONE 6(10): e25736. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025736

 ## Jonathan Cline
## jcline@ieee.org
## Mobile: +1-805-617-0223
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