Is this something that GMO-fearing foodies and greens can agree with?
It's been said before, but it bears repeating that genetic modification is little more than a new tool in the perennial human endeavor to modify the biology that surrounds us – a project that exploded with the advent of agriculture and the development of crop-breeding techniques now centuries old. The real issue, then, is that genetic modification – like old-school breeding tactics – is an instrument, as equally suited for prudent application as it is dangerous implementation.
It's from a Robert Gonzalez post at i09 that offers a very constructive perspective on the GMO debate. He quotes from some of my writing on the subject, but uses a Boing Boingessay by Maggie Koerth-Baker to highlight larger points about the similarities between conventional breeding and genetic modification techniques, the important one being that we should recognize both as tools,
each ...