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GM crops could change the world Forced hibernation could save lives
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GM crops could change the world Dr Steven Cutts discusses the theoretical pros and cons of genetically modified crops THE problems caused by the introduction of automobiles and drugs are dwarfed by the theoretical risks associated with the genetic modification of crops. Only nuclear power can begin to compare with the dangers involved in changing the products of our farms by the introduction of GM crops. Critics of the trend speak of horrors emerging to wreck the ecological balance of the planet. For many people the issue has become one of ethics. The very idea of exchanging genetic material between a child and a daffodil appears repulsive. Nevertheless, GM processes are a reality and for big business the momentum is difficult to rein back. But is GM science really as sinister as so often it’s described? Much of our agricultural and garden produce was originally foreign to our shores. Why shouldn’t science bring us new and better crops and stock? More to the point, how much better can the produce get? Some of the more outlandish concepts imagined by GM enthusiasts are still the stuff of science-fiction, but it’s worth remembering that GM foods today are at the same elementary stage that electronics had reached half a century ago. Once a few basic boundaries have been breached, the rate of scientific development can be breathtaking. My own desktop computer could not have existed in the 1960s and would have been priceless in the 1970s. Now early in the 21st century it is almost obsolete. If GM food technology achieves a similar pace of development, where might it take us within a few more decades? The GM plants and animals being introduced today are an attempt to address simple problems. Some crops are readily eaten by insects; some are not. By transferring genes from one to another the need for expensive, often poisonous insecticides can be removed. As science progresses, it is perfectly possible that the yield of such basic crops as wheat may also be improved. None of this means that anyone will be forced to eat GM produce. If the ethics bothered us we could choose to buy natural wheat in much the same way as now some of us select free-range organically raised eggs. But if yields were to double or even quadruple, how easily could we continue to ignore the GM commodities? Some of the basic biochemical processes involved in growing modem-day crops are operating at an efficiency of only a fraction of 1 per cent. What if the yield of cereals is increased by a factor of ten? GM technology may have applications for trees as well as cereals. We agonise about the implications of deforestation and the global warming that appears to have followed it. But what if timber could be grown anywhere in the world at 10 times the rate of South American rainforests? Imagine such giant redwood trees as have taken centuries to grow in California springing up everywhere within 20 years! Timber imports would be a thing of the past. Paper recycling would be forgotten, wood products would proliferate and the threat of global warming might vanish. In the minds of farsighted genetic engineers even more fantastic crops have been sown. When we bite into an apple it’s easy to forget about the chemicals present in its juice. They are in fact highly complex and very different from those in other fruits. Not only might oranges and lemons be genetically engineered to grow in extreme latitudes, entirely new fruits might be grown everywhere. There is no fundamental reason why oil- based products could not be grown on trees. To people living 50 years from now it might seem strange that their grandparents once drilled for oil and fought over it when they can pluck fruit from a branch and squeeze the stuff out. West Asia’s grip on petroleum supplies could be gone forever if every country in the world harvested its own oil. The strategic implications of such development are staggering. Invasions of lands rich in fossil fuels would be a thing of the past.
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Forced hibernation could save lives MICE forced to breathe hydrogen sulfide — known best for its rotten egg smell — go into a kind of suspended animation, US researchers said on Thursday in a finding that may help save human lives. Although hydrogen sulfide gas is toxic in high doses, it may activate some of the mechanisms that cause other animals to go into hibernation, they wrote in a recent issue of the journal Science. Finding a safe way to do this in humans could lead to new ways to treat cancer and prevent injury or death from blood loss, or help people undergo and recover from surgery better, said the team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Washington. “We are, in essence, temporarily converting mice from warm-blooded to cold-blooded creatures, which is exactly the same thing that happens naturally when mammals hibernate,” said Mark Roth, who led the study. “We think this may be a latent ability that all mammals have — potentially even humans — and we’re just harnessing it and turning it on and off, inducing a state of hibernation on demand,” said Roth, a biochemist. Bears do it, amphibians do it, and people occasionally hibernate, too. Many cases have been documented of small children, and the occasional adult, reviving from near-drownings in icy water after their body temperatures had dropped and they had stopped breathing for more than an hour. “In the end I suspect there will be clinical benefits and it will change the way medicine is practiced, because we will, in short, be able to buy patients time.” — Reuters |
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New Products and Discoveries
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report that flow properties for a relatively new class of alternative solvents called ionic liquids are extremely sensitive to tiny amounts of water. For example, for one of these solvents, just a 0.01 percent increase in water dissolved into a sample, caused a 1 per cent decrease in flow resistance — a 100-fold effect. The finding should be helpful in the design of new industrial processes such as chemical separations that are both more efficient and more environmentally friendly. Robotic arm A robotic arm that can be worn at home is being developed to help stroke survivors regain the ability to reach and grasp objects and perform basic tasks such as feed themselves. The device, built by a research team, led by biomedical engineer Jiping He, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Arizona State University and Kinetic Muscles, Inc., a start up biotech company, can also assess the effectiveness of the physical therapy so adjustments can be made to the regimen if necessary.
Cassini finds particles The Cassini spacecraft has discovered intriguing dust particles around Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The particles might indicate the existence of a dust cloud around Enceladus, or they may have originated from Saturn’s outermost ring, the E-ring. |
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THIS
UNIVERSE Q Sound is produced due to vibrations that occur when air passes through the voice box in the throat. Then why do different people have different voices? A The air passing through our larynx vibrates our vocal cords. The natural frequency of their vibration depends on their thickness and other physical features. Man-made resonance cavities can pick and enhance various harmonics, with the range of this capability depending on their construction. All drums do not give the same note, nor do all bells. It is truly amazing what gifted musicians can do with the relatively simple sound-making system with which we are all endowed. Perhaps it is not so simple. It is easily understood that the sounds and music made by different individuals cannot be the same. People are not constructed exactly the same on the outside — that is why no two persons look exactly the same; they are recognisable as being different. Similarly, slight differences in the sound-making apparatus (including physical measurements and sizes and shapes of resonant cavities) are not surprising. These variations result in recognisably different voices. Another level of complexity arises due to the fact that speaking or singing is also a learnt art. The way we manipulate our tongue or lips also makes a huge difference to our oral output, as does the extent and dexterity of breath control that a musician manages to acquire. Q Why does a chopped apple acquire a reddish tinge? A I knew that this had something to do with exposure of live tissue of the apple to oxygen but I was hazy about the details. So I had to look for an answer, something I do not like to do very much. Apparently, the mischief is done by an enzyme called tyrosine, some of which is present in all living tissue. It seems that oxygen and tyrosine combine to form melanin. You would recall that melanin is that dark substance which gives colour to our skin. It makes some of us darker than others. So the darkening of apples, also bananas, after being peeled is due to production of melanin. Living tissue is a very complex thing. Incidentally, I am told that if you put some lemon juice on a freshly cut apple, it prevents darkening to some extent. Try it. |
