I have no idea what an editor does over at ScienceBlogs. I doubt they do any actual editing of blogs. But evidently they get to choose their favorite posts, the way a clerk advertises his top ten flicks at your local movie rental store. So my eye drifted to a recent number one "editor's pick" on GMO's, a formerly hot topic that still provokes reliable growls in the environmentalist community. To all those who remain constitutionally opposed to genetically engineered crops, here's something to chew on:
What we do know is that after 14 years of consumption there has been not a single instance of harm to human health or the environment (and many indisputable benefits).
Maybe Coby has an uncle or someone in the family who can tackle this? Seriously, I always love it when I serendipitously come across another voice of sanity in the sciencesphere, so thanks anonymous ScienceBlogs editor for introducing me to Pamela Ronald and her blog, Tomorrow's Table. After glancing at a bunch of posts from the last two months, she completely won me over with this one:
In the recent debate on sustainable agriculture, I noted that "The likelihood of pollen from GE cotton causing harm to the environment is about as likely as a poodle escaping into the wild." Amidst the avalanche of comments, none rebutted the peer-reviewed data indicating that biotechnology has already contributed to enhancing the sustainability of our farms as measured by environmental and socio-economic benefits. But there were several people who were concerned about the poodle.
**On a separate note: I've got multiple deadlines looming, plus final papers to grade, and some intermittent travel coming up, so blogging will be sporadic for the last two weeks of December. I also will not have time to engage in comment threads the way I like to.
