Up a GM tree

I have tended to steer clear of GM. hence I share this as is, but more because of the referral to the issue of population.

As the world begins to starve it's time to take GM seriously

This I am also a bit of a wuss on when it comes to commentary (GM is more a case of absolutely not knowing enough to do so, despite doing a 1/2 a degree in something pretty close. Mind you, I was at college with Mendel - the extremes of 'fact' in the thread comments cases in fact).

As with the two 'E's, I do find I lack patience with the idealistic, simplistic and totally self-serving pronouncements of those who wish to ban something without any clear suggestion on how the consequences of such a ban would be handled.

Words and needs

This is a comment as much about reporting/editorial techniques as the actual content: Modified crops a must if India to feed itself: official

I don't know about you, but I first read that as meaning 'it' was 'official', which seemed quite significant. If it's some bod (no matter how senior) who said it, then that's a little less so.

That said, it raises an interesting set of dilemmas, and again pits two distinct groups more used to being the liberal darlings against each other. On the one hand there are the organic brigade, to whom any mention of GM is anathema, but then there is the 'simply feeding folk' brigade, who may not be quite so worried about the source of the mocha blend.

Whilst having empathy with the practical motivations of the latter, yet still acknowledging the 'mess with nature' cautions of the former, I simply note that no matter how much you tune a bean to squirt out its maximum nutritional resources, if there are more and more of 'us' still coming, a limit will surely get reached one day, whatever science can do.