From: Damien Broderick (thespike@earthlink.net)
Date: Wed Feb 05 2003 - 09:30:19 MST
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/02/05/1044318670302.html
New fears raised about GM plants
February 6 2003
By Stephen Cauchi
Science Reporter
Further questions have been raised about consequences of growing genetically
modified plants after Australian scientists showed that a hoped-for method
of preventing "superweeds" does not work.
Scientists had hoped that by injecting foreign genes away from a plant
cell's nucleus, the GM plant's pollen would remain free of the genes and not
infect other plants.
This week's edition of the science journal Nature says University of
Adelaide researchers have shown that even if foreign genes are injected
elsewhere in a cell, the genes can "hop over" into the nucleus and end up in
the pollen.
In theory, the pollen is then free to crossbreed with wild flowers and
weeds, creating superweeds resistant to herbicides. [etc]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Feb 05 2003 - 09:33:37 MST