New Discovery -- Gene Theory Flawed

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New " Discovery " -- Gene Theory Flawed

 

The human genome may not be a collection of independent genes with

each sequence of DNA linked to a single function. Instead, new

findings indicate that genes operate in a complex network, and

interact with each other in ways that are not yet fully understood.

 

The idea that genes operate independently is the basis for much of the

thought, as well as the economic and regulatory structure, that

governs the biotech industry. When recombinant DNA was invented in

1973, scientists believed that genes were associated with specific

functions, and that therefore a gene from any organism could fit

predictably into a larger design. In the United States, the Patent and

Trademark Office allows genes to be patented on the basis of this idea.

 

These new discoveries raise questions not just about patent law, but

also safety issues. Risk assessment of commercial biotech products

such as genetically engineered crops to pharmaceuticals is also based

on the " one gene, one function " theory. A network of interacting genes

can produce unknown, and unpredictable, effects.

 

New York Times July 1, 2007 (Registration Required)

 

It's long been presumed that genes in the human body operate

independently of one another. The first biotech company was founded on

this premise, and the entire $73.5-billion biotechnology industry as

we know it today still adheres to this basic principle.

 

But anyone who is aware of the biotech industry's tendency to put

profits ahead of safety will not be surprised to learn that the

principle is completely wrong.

 

In fact, it's been known for years that genes in other organisms

operate as part of a network. Despite this, researchers only

translated this knowledge to humans in June, when they reported being

" surprised " to learn that the human genome is not a " tidy collection

of independent genes " , but a complex interacting network instead.

 

However, safety studies for biotech products, including genetically

modified (GM) foods, pharmaceuticals and more, have all been based on

the flawed independent gene theory. Now that gene " network effects "

have been acknowledged, it's clear that biotech products could produce

any number of unknown effects.

 

Jack Heinemann, a professor of molecular biology at the University of

Canterbury in New Zealand put it quite well when he said, " The real

worry for us has always been that the commercial agenda for biotech

may be premature, based on what we have long known was an incomplete

understanding of genetics. "

 

This is likely to be just the beginning of the dangerous revelations

that will come surrounding GM foods, prescription drugs and other

biotech products, and their vastly unknown impacts on your health.

 

This brings home what many people have known for some time: the

effects of genetic modification on the environment and on your health

are unexplored territory. GM foods in particular are a massive

experiment on a scale never before seen in the history of the human race.

You are an involuntary guinea pig in this risky experiment. More than

75 percent of the processed foods you eat contain GM foods, without

labeling and without warning. All the more reason for you to stay away

from processed foods as often as you can, and seek out local sources

for healthier whole foods.

 

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/10/new-quot-discovery\

-quot-gene-theory-flawed.aspx