The problems with genes

7 June

Bit of a rough night last night I’m afraid, and that means that right now I’m not feeling all that bright at all. Up three times to pee and not getting back off to sleep after the last time was enough to knock me about. This bladder thingy has certainly been getting worse over the last week or two. Every time I stand up now I’m finding I have to go and mope often then than not, I’m only just getting there in time. I certainly do not want to become incontinent, so the sooner this job gets done the better.

Did you see on the news last night that yanky scientists are playing games with pigs in the hope that they can make headway in curing illnesses. It sounds great doesn’t? I’ve always been in favour of these sorts of things but it struck me as more than a wee bit hypocritical to show support for what they are doing and frowning on GM crops. After all, they are both experiments with gene therapy aren’t they? So why is one OK and the not OK?

I suppose the anti-GM food lot will say that there is not clear way prevent GM seeds from away from the fields where they are sown. There’s something in that you know. How often have you driven down the road and seen rape seed plants growing in the side of the verges? We have seen it a lot anyway. So how can FM seeds be prevented from doing to as well; of course, they can’t be prevented. But what about the games being played with pigs right now?

We have no idea what messing about with their genes might cause, or where it might end up. The pro lobby say that designer babies are a very long way off, even if it can ever be done. We just don’t know. Those pigs have been modified to give birth to piglets with a human pancreas, not a pig one. So let’s say it works and they go to breed a male and a female from the trial. How can they sure there won’t more changes to the offspring? No-one can say or even give any idea. Extend it somewhat to several generations down the line. What might the results?

We already know that when human cousins marry and go to have kids, who also marry their cousins, they likelihood of those kids being disabled in some way multiplies drastically. And so on down the line. At some time, there will be no kids born without any sort of problem. We already know this, and so do our livestock farmers, who keep very accurate records of their breeding stock. There is plenty of evidence as to just how delicate genes are, yet it is being ignored. These people across the Atlantic seem to think it won’t happen with pigs. There are time when I wonder what planet these people are from you know.

Science is good and has helped to make all our lives heaps better than it was. The problem comes when the accounts see more money to be made and either push or hold back on funding, depending on the possible cash return. So much of science can be turned to military

uses and any scientist who believes otherwise is sadly disillusioned. As Mr & Mrs Joe Public can do little to change that. Look at the Greenham Common protest; how many months/years did that go on for? And yet when the yanks withdrew, it wasn’t because of the protest, oh no, it was simply down to the collapse of the USSR and its satellite states.

Today’s photo …

A Victor bomber.

Today’s funny …

Customer: How long have you been working in this restaurant?
Waiter: Two weeks, sir.
Customer: Only two weeks. Well it can't have been you that took my order.