> A one in a billion outcome is almost certanity when you look at say 
> an
> indiana full of corn plants.

Indeed.

> It would be really fun to get a mutation that was say strongly 
> dominant, and
> made the corn indigestable by spinning some sugar or protein the 
> other
> direction.   Great for making diet food, but you might want some 
> REAL food.
>
> Of course you wouldn't notice this right away, if it didn't affect 
> yields
> significantly, but people would start to starve for no apparent 
> reason.
> (hmm.. I could do a novel based on that.)

It happened very recently and the victim as laid quietly to rest with 
(un)surprisingly little fanfare.
I posted this to list recently. 26 Nov 05 New Scientist says -

        http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/gm-food/mg18825273.400

In this case a ten year trial (AFAIR) [[10 years !!!!]] was abandoned 
after it was found that the milled, processed proteins in peas with a 
bean gene [ :-) ] inserted caused allergic reactions in mice which 
were totally unknown from either of the source crops.

This is *EXACTLY* the sort of thing that has been feared and which 
'experts' of appropriate bias have ridiculed long and hard and 
dirtily. Note that NO "genetic material" remains - just the output 
protein alone causes the damage. This is, of course, by received 
wisdom, essentially impossible. Hookey Walker :-). (Google knows).

Laugh (while you can) at the really silly comments in defence.


        Russell McMahon

Some key words & phrases from below:

SURPRISING / was a surprise / does not cause allergic reactions / 
Stranger still / the amino acids within the proteins were identical / 
Yet / subtly different / making them appear different to the immune 
system / That would be silly / every crop must be judged individually 
/

Doom, doom .... :-)

______________
SURPRISING results from Australia have resurrected questions about the 
safety of genetically modified crops - in this case a variety of GM 
peas.

Researchers found that the peas triggered allergic reactions in mice. 
This was a surprise because the only extra gene in the peas was that 
for a protein found in beans, in which it does not cause allergic 
reactions. Stranger still, the amino acids within the proteins were 
identical in both legumes. Yet when the researchers looked closer, the 
two proteins had subtly different arrays of sugars attached to them, 
making them appear different to the immune system (see "Skewed 
research").

Opponents of GM foods may try to use this finding to damn all 
transgenic crops. That would be silly. As this magazine has argued 
before, every crop must be judged individually.

The important question is whether national regulatory authorities 
would have spotted the allergy. In Australia, ...



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