Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [gmo]

Genetically modified organism. Any plant or animal where the genetic code has been manipulated by biotechnological methods. Usually so the organism generates products from other species (for example pesticides in corn) or unnatural products (like modified human insulin in bacteria).

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Is Genetically Modified food safe to consume?

What's the truth surrounding the popular idea that genetically modified food is dangerous to consume? There's entire websites and institutions dedicated to popularizing the alleged dangers of eating genetically modified food, such as GMO Awareness,…
Django Reinhardt
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What risks exist with GMO, but not with selective breeding?

Anytime you hear Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) come up, someone always pipes in that it's perfectly safe because we've been doing it for thousands of years through selective breeding. Intuitively this sounds a lot like saying we've had solar…
Russell Steen
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Organic food is worse for the environment because it requires more land than non-organic food

I've heard that organic crops and husbandry are worse for the environment than non-organic equivalents because in the absence of pesticides and fertilizers much more land is required for an organic yield equivalent to what would be achieved with…
Brian M. Hunt
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Does Roundup harm mammals?

In the anti-GMO debate, it is frequently suggested that the use of Glyphosate (trade name: Roundup) on Roundup-ready GMO crops causes environmental harm. Example claim: Natural News Monsanto's infamous Roundup contains the hotly debated compound…
DrinkJavaCodeJava
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Has the synthetic bacteria Synthia become a rogue flesh-eating disease?

I spotted this on Facebook: Cynthia [sic]: Flesh-Eating Synthetic Bacteria that has Gone Wild In 2011, Cynthia was unleashed in the Gulf of Mexico and in its initial stages of life it was absorbing oil slicks at breathtaking speed. In January, 2011…
Avery
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Are human trials not necessary to determine the safety of genetically modified food?

Naturalnews.com claims that in explaining why Monsanto doesn't run human clinical trials on GM crops on its own website, the company uses 'absurd logic' to justify its stance and makes 'pseudoscientific' claims that "everything can be considered…
James
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Do GMO companies forbid independent research on their seeds?

I was linked to this article on Global Research.ca today which claims that GMO companies (specifically Monsanto, but also naming DuPont and Syngenta) ban independent research on their seeds. There are no independent scientific studies published in…
March Ho
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Can Tifton 85 grass produce cyanide gas?

Today I read something quite unexpected: Preliminary tests revealed the Tifton 85 grass, which has been here for years, had suddenly started producing cyanide gas, poisoning the cattle. [...] What is more worrisome: Other farmers have tested…
Sklivvz
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Are GMO crops to blame for farmer suicides in India?

Anyone who follows the genetically modified organism (GMO) debate has probably heard the claim that GMO crops, and specifically the inability to save seed and other associated production costs, have lead Indian farmers deep into debt, and a large…
Flimzy
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Is GM corn toxic?

According to Vendomois et al, 2009: these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. Monsanto, the manufacturer of two of the studied strains of GM corn, responded, dismissing the…
Larry OBrien
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Did Philippine farmers vandalise a field of Golden Rice GMO?

The BBC and the New York Times report that the a field of Golden Rice GMO rice was vandalised by Philippine farmers: A trial plot of genetically modified rice has been destroyed by local farmers in the Philippines. "Golden Rice" has been…
March Ho
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Does Monsanto have a bee patent?

In 2011, Monsanto acquired a company specialised in bees. Claims are circulating on the internet about an alleged Monsanto bee patent. In its most radical form, the claim is: Monsanto is killing off the world's bee population to make way for their…
gerrit
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Are GMOs a threat to bee populations?

An image is making the rounds on some Facebook groups: It appears to have originated from an anti-GMO website. Although the image is making multiple claims, there is an implied claim that GMOs are harmful to bees in and of themselves, not just with…
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Is it possible for ingested dsRNA (or other genetic materials) to affect human gene expression?

I am usually pretty skeptical about claims on the danger of genetically modified crops because the issue of health for me logically breaks down to: Do the genes altered produce toxic chemicals in a dosage that would cause issues for human health?…
Nathan BeDell
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Do US preschools ban lunches being brought to school?

In October 2013, on My 2 Crazy Curls, a blogger from Richmond, VA, reported receiving a letter from her child's preschool, explicitly banning students from bringing their own food to school without a medical reason. Dear Parents, I have received…
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