MSNBC's Cosmic Log and Genetically Engineered SuperSpud

Hmm…I’m really not certain this so-called SuperSpud is all that “super”; it's called such only because it is immune to the potato blight.  Not exactly a small benefit, but is this benefit enough to warrant the label "super"?  The genetic engineering that Alan Boyle discusses behind the creation of this particular strain of potato is really just an escalation or reduction of the cycle time between subspecies crosses.  Were a common potato and the blight-immune potato to be grown side-by-side for some period of time, would there not eventually be a cross?  I think there would be; the cellular automata or script of the potato family is only a line or two different for each subspecies.  It would only take time and appropriate conditions.  Over the tens of thousands of years that humans have existed, we’ve done much to encourage transfers of genetic materials between subspecies through cross-pollination and selection.

I do have problem with genetic engineering above species and genus, though, as I wrote to the Cosmic Log:

This particular kind of GE between plants of different subspecies but same species (both are potatoes) is acceptable to me; it's a very small step away from natural crosses that occur between plants.  The risks due to drift of genetic material between related plants are far more innocuous than other GE/GM efforts; the effects of such an exchange of genetic material are more likely to approximate a similar naturally-occurring exchange of genetic material.

I object, on the other hand, to GE/GM which injects genetic material of totally unrelated classes, families, genus and orders into each other; my perception is that risks increase the farther apart the classification of the subjects to be combined.  I find particularly troubling GE/GM work which transfers genes between kingdoms (as in StarLink corn, combining plant and animal genes).  We do not yet understand all the reasons why nature so firmly divided into two kingdoms all living materials; ignoring this schism also ignores other ethical and scientific concerns. 

Are there fundamental reasons why the substantial portion of the plant kingdom has not naturally manifested certain traits that are unique to animals and vice versa?  What are the reasons why combinations above genus level do not occur naturally?  Is there a threat to the human genome from volatile genomes that are both plant and animal?  At what point do plants become conscious?  How much animal genetic material does it take to make a plant a conscious animal?  What happens if crops we rely upon for food stuffs become conscious?  Some of these questions might sound dingy, but there it is -- questions we aren't asking, potential answers we are ignoring by permitting cross-kingdom GE/GM.  We're allowing corporations to ask only whether GE/GM products are profitable.

I know I’ve read somewhere that a probable reason there is such a divide between the plant and animal kingdoms is the difference in speed between mutations.  There is a much stronger tendency toward division of genetic materials as male and female in the animal kingdom, which may be based in this difference.  I’ll have to think on this issue more, but it seems fairly self-explanatory.

Your thoughts and comments are welcomed.

4:18:19 PM    comment []

A rare but earnest prayer

Power That Is, Force of Life, Holy Spirit, I ask your divine intervention.

Please bless humanity with your grace by granting these humble intercessions.

Please heal Pat Robertson and his minions, with all due speed. 

Please open their eyes to the connectedness that intertwines all life, that they may see the truth of their hating ways.

Please heal the wound and undue the injuries upon humanity that Pat and those of like-mind wreak each time they incite intolerance and hatred of other members of the human family.

And so it is, Amen.

2:50:23 PM    comment []

Howard Dean as guest blogger at Lessig’s

Wow, 172 comments as of 900 am EDT on Howard Dean’s first post.  I tried to wade through all of them; took me over an hour to make through about 150 and my eyes got too fatigued to do more than hyperscan the remainder.  Felt like I was reading a clone of DailyKos' comments!

Don’t know that I learned a lot more about Dean or his position on copyrights, but I feel comfortable that he supports free speech through a more diverse media.

Wonder what today’s post will bring (besides the inevitable trolls…and who the hell is Richard Bennett anyhow, speaking of trolls?!)

12:05:25 PM    comment []

Build-A-Meme Project:  An idea for the MoveOn.org team…

Have you seen the buzz on flash mobs?

Doesn’t that sound really cool?

What if, instead of performance art, this concept was used as a consciousness and cultural change tool?

What if there were simultaneous flash mobs arranged for the ten largest cities in the U.S., and the mobs were to arrive with designated signage (like “INVESTIGATE IRAQ-GATE NOW!”), met at their designated public venue for a prescribed 10 minutes, then dissipated rapidly?

What if this went on, rolling across smaller cities and venues, until a critical mass of the public got on board?

I can dream, can’t I?

Anybody know how to get in touch with MoveOn.org directly?

11:35:00 AM    comment []