Nature busts anti-GMO myth: Gene swapping among plants, insects common occurrence

by Arvind Suresh

There is a fierce debate in Florida over how the state should work to stop the spread of the Zika virus. One controversial solution offered is to release GMO mosquitoes. These lab-made bugs possess a ‘kill-switch’ gene made with fragments of DNA from coral, cabbage, the herpes virus, and E.coli bacteria.  Matings between the GMO mosquitoes and wild ones would spread the lethal gene—eventually reducing and possibly eliminating mosquitoes from the region altogether........ On the other hand, critics have cited the unnatural creation of the bug as a reason to oppose it. Helen Wallace, the executive director of the British anti-GM group GeneWatch, called the mosquito “Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, plain, and simple.”........the cry of ‘unnatural’ from opponents of biotech.....is one of the most strident arguments used by activists against all genetically modifying organisms......[however] In May 2015, researchers showed that practically every known species of cassava (sweet potato) contained genes from Agrobacterium, a bacterial species whose genes we have also harnessed to create other GM crops. The genes were inserted over 8,000 years ago and may have helped the tuber evolve into its current, edible form. This phenomenon of genetic transfer during evolution between species, also known as ‘horizontal gene transfer’ is not restricted to plants......To Read More...