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Published online 14 May 2008 | 453, 263- (2008) | doi:10.1038/453263a
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German universities bow to public pressure over GM crops
Plug is pulled on maize research.
Scientists have decried the decision by two German universities to pull the plug on field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops, calling it a “disgraceful” interference with scientists' freedom to research.
“I am not happy at all with this decision,” says Stefan Hormuth, president of the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Hesse.
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I think that citizens should be more informate about the goal of GMO researchs and how it is done. The "unknown" frigthen people. In one word MORE INFORMACION MORE EXPLANATION !! means more accesibility to informacion and more transparency.
GM crops can contaminate adjacent plants with both the functional and the marker genes. I don't think public opinion would accept open-field trials of infectious agents, so I don't understand why anyone considers GM crop trials acceptable. It's true though that public opinion can latch on to particular issues and in that way distort priorities - an example in this issue of Nature is the long-standing practice of spreading uncontrolled sewage sludge. Regards
Dear Christopher Lee, calling that possible gene flow "contamination" is just way too exaggerated. That's the kind of words anti-GM activists use. If the genes prove to be innocuous for health and environment, what is the problem with the gene flow (if it really does happen)? First you would have to prove that this gene flow really is deleterious in some way. Moreover, why are you only concerned with GM crops? Isn't there this risk of gene flow with crops produced by non-targeted mutagenesis and even conventional breeding? The problem with these latter technologies, unlike what happens with GM crops, is that you don't even know which new genes you have inserted in the genome - isn't this worrying too? The point you have risen should not be a concern for GM crops, because it is a reality for any type of crop you can produce.
@Anne-Sophie: Here in the UK when the government conducted research into the backing of GM crops they found that as knowledge about the technology increased, so did resistance to the idea. Now, I view this as peculiar and must question how the technology was explained, I agree that information should allay fears. I do think that it is terrible there is so much fear over GM crops, when they are much more tightly regulated than 'conventional' plant breeding strategies. It is even worse for the universities to not publicly back their own research staff and this will only leave Europe in debt to the rest of the world when we need this technology.