The danger of CRISPR gene-editing technology used in food or even humans
How do I explain, in simple terms, what CRISPR is? It is a DNA cut-and-paste method where one rearranges DNA components. Technically, this is not the same as the original GMO method, which cuts genes from different species and places the genes into the target species.
Monsanto originally changed the soybean by inserting a gene from a fungus tolerant to Roundup, into the soybean genome. They call this “transgenic,” for the transfer of genes. The CRISPR method cuts and pastes genes from the same organism and (in the US) is not considered a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO).
However, the EU Court of Justice has ruled that plants created using novel genome editing methods, will be classed as genetically changed organisms and therefore have to follow the strict EU guidelines for GMOs.
To me, it sounds like playing God and we do not know the outcome. What are the future consequences of doing this? Humans are always trying to improve on nature and in our modern world there are enough bad examples of human mistakes to make us actually stop, but that is not happening.
Spraying the crop image PublicDomainPictures
What are Frankenfoods?
I have written in the past about Frankenfoods. You will probably already have heard about them and how they have invaded our daily life, yet we are not really conscious about it. A lot of foods we eat are made with genetically modified ingredients, and we do not know what these types of foods do to our health in the long run.
DNA image Mahmoud Ahmed
The first food which had a gene change
The first genetically modified food to hit the market was the FLAVR SAVR tomato in 1994. You may ask how scientists changed this tomato? Normally produce is picked while still green and artificially ripening by ethylene treatment once they reach the stores. This is done so that they can transport it long distances and not get overripe.
That is a shame as, when it is not picked ripe, it has not completely developed all the good things a sun-ripened fruit can have. The researchers found the gene which is responsible for ripening and introduced a “reverse orientation copy of the gene” which allowed the plant to be harvested when ripe but not soften as quickly.
This improved freshness, a better flavor, and the fruit would spoil less. Even if this product was in high demand, it never became a profitable event because of the high production and distribution cost. To me, it sounds very much like interfering with a natural process that has served humanity since the beginning of agriculture.
In this video of 1 May 2017, you get GMO explained. The food you eat has an enormous influence on your health. That is why being informed is so important.
How Monsanto uses CRISPR to wiggle out of the responsibility for GMO labeling
Monsanto is now using CRISPR technology to alter the genome of the horrible Frankenfoods they are creating. It is standing on the shelves of your supermarket and without realizing it you might eat it every day. The problem is that organisms altered with CRISPR technology are not technically classified as GMOs.
Instead of using genes from different species, engineers at Monsanto used tissue culture selection and a chemical mutagen to modify the gene. Technically, this is not the same method and is how Monsanto and other large food producers can escape GMO restrictions (so far).
Know the companies you buy your food from
Here comes a link to a very extensive list where you can see the companies to avoid and their related products. These are GMO Supporting Food Companies you better avoid. I am afraid the list is long and might not be easy to remember when you go shopping.
Technology is coming to your aid with a brilliant App. Buycott – Barcode Scanner and QR Bar Code Scanner. You could download that on your phone and have the information always at your fingertips.
Twin-Sisters image Wansou Xu
How about some genetically modified children?
Science has not stopped at making Frankenstein foods, which are bad for our health. No, science is always marching forward and is now working to genetically edit children. I do not know if you heard this story about the Chinese scientist who did just that.
In late November 2018, this news spread like a wildfire and shocked people worldwide. Chinese scientist He Jiankui declared he was involved in the birth of the first genetically edited children.
The side effect of this experiment
The reason why this was done in the first place was to protect the babies from HIV. When this became known worldwide, it caused quite a shock also in the scientific community. Not everybody liked the idea. Would we have the ability, with this cut-and-paste procedure, to change our offspring to ensure they are male, or that they have blue eyes or small noses?
How far do you think people would go to make sure their children are beautiful? Scientists estimate that there are around 20.000 genes in our DNA strand. Do we know what each one does? Do we know that there isn’t a requirement for a duplicate to be located in over one location for the gene to be successful?
More importantly, do we know for certain that this modification won’t cause serious harm?
There is a reason to believe that the brain of these twin girls might have been changed. A side effect after they changed their genes before birth by the new editing tool CRISPR. Tests in mice have shown that after going through the same procedure they became smarter. This could mean the girls might do very well at school.
Laboratory image Belova 59
The University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen becomes famous
He Jiankui is an associated professor at the China Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. After the widespread reaction, he put his future work on hold. Since then China has tightened the rules on gene editing in humans and scientists and institutions could expect severe penalties if they should break those new rules.
The reason to not make the girls suffer like their father was why Professor He Jiankui tried this experiment, that is at least what he told the press. China was not happy with it and he might well see a trial and perhaps face imprisonment.
Even if most scientists think it is too early for these types of manipulations, there are scientists who support him. The scientific community is afraid that this uncontrolled action can influence future investigations on genetically modified babies. Time will tell.
Conclusion
There is not sufficient data available to reassure us that all this fiddling with nature will not end with having disastrous effects on the environment and our foods supply. We already experience a sharp decline in the overall health of the population.
To start modifying humans is taking the CRISPR technology quite some steps further. If the scientific community does not abide by the highest ethical principles in the future, a new Frankenstein race could populate our earth. Let us hope it will not happen.
The following article is more than proof enough that science does not stop. I find it rather frightening and get the impression that reality might easily surpass all the science fiction films we know.
I have made a special page for you. It holds a collection of things you might find interesting. Before you leave, please visit Recommendations.
Source: NaturalHealth365, an article written by Dena Schmidt, staff writer, December 10, 2018
Photo Source: Pixabay
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Comments
Kelly Smith
This is a very interesting article. I remember hearing about the girls DNA being modified, and it made me think about the ethical and moral issues we will face if we continue on this journey of modification. We can’t mess with nature and expect it to go well. Nature has always won…
In regards to the food, I can understand to a certain extent why some of them may be modified such as the tomatoes to keep them from going bad too soon…but at the same time, if we could grow our own veggies and fruits, we could avoid the issues with gmo as well.
Taetske
Good Morning Kelly,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Yes, nature normally wins. As we do not know the consequences this fiddling might have I would prefer it not to happen. In our world, there are already too many examples of human intervention gone wrong.
I live on an organic farm since 1981 and am happy I can grow quite a lot of things myself so I know what I eat, well, most of the time. A little sin now and then is allowed but on the whole, I eat healthy food.
Regards, Taetske
Owillz
oh my God! This is an eye opener. But what I do not understand is why these scientist still go ahead with such procedures even when they know the consequences attached. Science is supposed to help improve and enhance human life not destroy it. Authorities that are supposed to check these things need to be up and doing. So many health hazards these days. Who knows where they are coming from? God help us. Thank you for sharing
Taetske
Good afternoon Owillz,
That is a good question. I really do not think that scientists have as their main aim, our wellbeing in mind. Of course, there are very good scientists who come up with great discoveries which do help humans but often Big Pharma steps in and that is the beginning of the end. You are right, modern life holds many dangers. The best thing we can do is to be informed.
Thank you for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Regards, Taetske
Agnes
Thank you for the article and the useful information in it. It is really terrible what mankind can do either for financial reasons or maybe for scientific ’improvement’. I agree with you that nobody should be allowed to play the role of God! It should be understood, that it might be dangerous and you are right only future will prove it. Maybe it will be late then? I hope there are many people among us who realize that we are responsible for our future, what we’ll get in the future highly depends on what we are doing today. So if we eat unhealthy food, we’ll be unhealthy on the long term! Thank you again for sharing this.
Taetske
Good afternoon Agnes,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment on my website. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Having 2 websites for more than 2 years have made me more conscious of what is happening in our world. My world view has changed quite a bit and I realize now that we are responsible for most of the big messes on our planet. The old saying you will reap what you sow says it all.
Regards, Taetske
Sylvia Mann
Hi, Taetske,
I appreciate your article on this subject and I wasn’t aware, yet, of CRISPR. I still deal with GMO foods trying to avoid them as much as I can, but as you already know it isn’t always that easy to do.
I will further inform myself about CRISPR and, especially, what it does when the genes are being edited before birth, like with these Twin babies.
For some reason, however, I am not really shocked about this messages since I always suspected to hear about, something like this, in the near future anyway. It is the time we are living in and I really don’t like to know, and yet, I actually do like to know what is going on in all these “secret” Labs around the world?
What are they capable of when mixing genes, editing them, and more. Is there already a “real” Jurassic Park somewhere or some “super human” soldier? Well, I believe in higher powers and I know for sure that everything will come out for us to know and to act upon responsibly.
The information about the Apps to scan the Bar-Codes of products exists for a few years now, but since I don’t carry one of these smartphones, I am unable to use it. However, I have heard from friends that it is a great tool and they using it each time they go shopping, to make sure what they buy is what they want.
Thank you, Taetske your article has given me something to look deeper into it.
Namaste & Higs
Sylvia
Taetske
Good Morning Sylvia,
Nice to see you again. Thank you for your comment.
We really should be informed about what is going on in our world but I wonder if we will ever be. Too much manipulation is going on behind the scenes. To tell you the truth I think we are being told not more than 10% and then one must ask how much is true of that 10%.
The less we, the people, know the easier we are to manipulate, pushed in this or that direction at the whim and convenience of a few, not always visible “leaders”.
The changing of our foods, on top of spraying it with pesticides is a crime and I am happy that now finally those court cases against Monsanto have started. Bayer will be sorry, no, they are already sorry they bought Monsanto as it could very well mean their complete ruin.
Trying to improve people on a genetic level is quite crazy. Why do we not clean up Mother Earth to start with? Having a well functioning and clean environment to live in, clean water and air, no radiation, etc. humans would be a lot healthier. Then there would be no need for chemical medicine which harms us and for sure no need to modify us on a genetic level.
All the best, Taetske
Linda
I totally, 100 percent agree with you. It is ignorant and totally against the word of the Lord. Regardless of technology DNA or whatever name they attach to the term “DNA”; a DNA is only what God does and nothing more. Oh Lord, please have percy on us all! It is such a disgrace to his eyes and I can imagine how sad He must be feeling due to all this nonsense. This apples to the ways people are having babies now as well.
Taetske
Good afternoon Linda,
Creation as a whole is amazing and beautiful. Difficult to understand how it all functions. We, the human race, have been given this beautiful planet but we do everything to destroy it. It is not ours to do with as we please, we have to take care of our environment as this will be the home of future generations, hopefully.
The same applies to our body, that wonderful thing that if taken care of will let us live a healthy life till we are really old. What do we do instead? We pollute it with harmful man-made foods instead of eating nature gifts. We are going in the wrong direction for sure.
We were given the gift of free will but we will be presented with the consequences of our actions, that is for sure.
Thank you for your comment. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?
Regards, Taetske
Adyns68
I am always horrified when I hear about scientists playing God.
I remember some few years back when they came up with the idea of choosing the baby’s look. In the original studies they just wanted to study the genetics to be able to avoid certain hereditary disease but they took it further by choosing what sex you want for your baby and the eyes colour, the hair colour too. My question is how many fecondation do you need to do in the name of research in order to find the baby with the ordered specs? How many will have to be terminated.
Big industry in food industry want to avoid the GMO tag, so crispr Gene technology is their escape, but the process if the same as GMO, because you still play with the genes to get what you want. I can’t help to think that very soon even natural seeds will come to disappear. That’s my biggest fear, because companies like Mosanto sometimes requires farmers to only use their modified seeds. That’s the biggest danger, to have their modified products everywhere.
Thanks to your post I have discovered this other method, crispr Gene technology. I’m glad to be aware now.
Taetske
Good afternoon Adyns,
Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?
For many things science is good but sometimes I think it is taken too far. Where do you draw the line? That will be different for many people as we do not all think the same way.
I want science to be used for positive things not for messing up nature. So much science and still people are far from being healthy. The fact that Monsanto is still allowed to sell Roundup worldwide is proof that money is more important than general health. Sadly many things are wrong and if we are not careful we will be on the road of no return.
Regards, Taetske
MissusB
What is happening to the world? When you brought up GMO and CRISPR issues, I was really alarmed that these food processes are developed and manufactured for a big profit. It’s disheartening that it is continued and consumers can’t do anything about this aside from being learned from all this kind of issues. Well at least, problem solved with Buycott and QR barcode scanner apps. Grocery shopping wouldn’t take so much of your time. I’m gonna look for it and check it out.
Now about DNA modification, i was wondering where is the moral compass in that? I can’t say much about it but it’s beyond my capacity to accept it. But, thank you for spreading this news. It’s not everyday that we get this kind of information.
Taetske
Good Morning Maureen,
I think that this Buycott App can be very helpful for people living in the U.S. In America I think the situation is even worse than in Europe, all those artificial foods in the supermarkets, no wonder the population is sick.
Only if there is a Global Protest on GMO will it help. I also think that modifying humans is going too far. If we would have a clean environment, a healthy lifestyle and eat close to nature there would be no need for this. Babies would be healthy and grow up into healthy human beings.
Thank you for your visit. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Regards, Taetske
Vicki
HI Taestke
I am saddened and angry when I read through this article.
When I was young we lived off the land and the ocean and we were healthy. I still grow all my vegetables and fruit and go fishing when I can but the world is full of pollutants, being modified for growth and all of it is killing our beautiful planet.
My daughter is building a website about our earth and you 2 have similar passions.
Her site is about bees and honey and how hideous Roundup is and now more Monsanto-roundup here
Killing our planet- how horrible!!!
Greetings from New Zealand and keep changing the world 🙂 You are awesome
Taetske
Good Morning Vicki,
Thank you for your visit and leaving a comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
I have written twice about bees, also about insects and another post on butterflies. When the bees are gone we will be gone shortly afterward and Mother Earth can breathe again.
On my other website, healthyantiagingalternatives, I have a category on Corporate Malfeasance with some posts on Monsanto, They are criminals and we should boycott them. If nobody would buy Roundup anymore and neither their GMO seeds they would go bankrupt. Luckily there are many court cases against them and they have lost the first one and got a huge fine.
Yes, I know about your daughter’s website. The more people write about these things the better.
Regards, Taetske
Ray
One of the more interesting posts I have ever commented on.
Especially since food production is something I have thought a lot about lately. I have just recently watched shows on mass producing chickens and injecting them with hormones. There was also one on the cattle super ranches and slaughterhouses. I was shocked to see that there are trace amounts of feces in pork, beef, and chicken. What is most disturbing is that those feces is considered legal.
Even something as seemingly natural and harmless as honey is being altered. It seems the only solution is to live on a self-sustaining homestead and grow your own crops and raise your own chickens and cattle, and I suppose, have a few beehives.
I was a produce manager for a few decades and I am very familiar with the gas that is used to speed up the ripening process. Most notably bananas that are picked green and put into gas rooms when they arrived at our warehouse. The gas would heat up the bananas and speed up the ripening process. When we opened them at store level they would often be “sweating” from the artificial heat and we would have to pull back the plastic that covered them in order to let them cool and not ripen too quickly. I doubt that any North Americans have ever known what a true banana truly tastes like as none of them ever reach the ripened stage on the plant before they are harvested.
If they can genetically alter livestock, then I guess it only follows that one day they will genetically alter humans. Or as you mentioned, they already have begun the process. One day they will be able to alter DNA so a person will live to be 150 years old. I’m glad I won’t be around to see it.
A very thought-provoking post…. I have the app now on my I-phone but not quite sure how to use it and what foods I should use it on. I will have to copy your post link and look at the list you mentioned.
Taetske
Good Morning Ray,
Nice to hear you found my post interesting. Having 2 websites since January 2017 my world view has changed quite a bit. I write about things I come across which catch my attention. My other website has more to do with environmental related things. Oh, dear me, what are we doing? We have been given a fantastic body to live in and a beautiful planet we can call our home. We destroy our body with a wrong lifestyle and harmful foods and the environment which is our habitat we poison and pollute.
It may well happen that soon we are capable of living more than a hundred years but in what kind of body and what will our world look like? On the other hand, one of the many alarm bells is ringing. It seems that the new generation, the one growing up with their smartphone pressed to their brain has a lower life expectancy already. No wonder as we alter our food, pollute the water and the air and to top it we add radiation, like that we will not make it. Mother Earth will be better off without us and peace and beauty will reign again.
You are right, back to nature would be ideal. The human race would need some reeducation but I am afraid not everybody agrees on that, most of the time the money factor interferes and we will continue going in the wrong direction.
Thank you for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
Regards, Taetske
nasrin19
I appreciate your article on this subject and I wasn’t aware, yet, of CRISPR. It is really terrible what mankind can do either for financial reasons or maybe for “scientific improvement”. I agree with you that nobody should be allowed to play the role of God! I remember hearing about the girls DNA being modified, and it made me think about the ethical and moral issues we will face if we continue on this journey of modification.
I hope there are many people among us who realize that we are responsible for our future, what we’ll get in the future highly depends on what we are doing today. So if we eat unhealthy food, then we’ll be unhealthy in the long term! Thank you, Taetske your article has given me something to look deeper into it. Nature has always Won…
Taetske
Good Morning Nasrin,
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope you have downloaded your free PDF?
Mother Earth will certainly win. All our actions have consequences and sooner or later we will find out if she liked it or not.
Personally, I think all this meddling with nature is not good. The human race has evolved over such a long period and we should not interfere on such a big level as changing the DNA. The human body is such an amazing creation that instead of wanting to change it we should learn to take better care of it.
Regards, Taetske
Nina
I am from a European country and I am glad that we have stricter laws on artificial gene mutations, although corporations like Monsanto, which are primarily for profit and not the welfare of humanity, always find their way through various holes and machinations of legislative rules.
We have a garden next to the house and we grow a lot of seasonal vegetables, herbs, and some fruit ourselves.
The future, shaped by multi-companies like Monsanto, is really worrying.
Thanks for this interesting article The danger of CRISPR gene editing technology used in food or even humans and the awareness you share.
I wish you all the best
Nina
Taetske
Good Morning Nina,
Thank you for your visit and for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.
Great, you can grow your own food. It tastes better and is also healthier and has more nutrients than what you buy in the supermarket.
Monsanto/Bayer is really a curse for the world. Bill Gates is now the biggest private landowner and will plant GMO crops. Our health will get worse and that will please Big Pharma. Bill Gates is a big shareholder. The whole setup is evil. I had my own awful experience with Roundup on my farm, so in 1981 I went organic.
Regards, Taetske.