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Article: The unwitting labs of genetic modification: Farms brim with altered plants, even though scientists aren't yet sure of the crops' effects on the environment.(USA)(Seeds Of Discord?)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- September 5, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the highly charged debate over biotech crops, critics and supporters can agree on one thing: New strains are sold and planted before much is known about their ecological effects, and too little is being done to find out about them.
Genetically engineered corn, soybeans, and cotton already are staples on millions of acres of farmland in North America. Yet studies of potential risks often are conducted after a new strain of gene-spliced seeds has taken root on farms - too late for the environment or the approval process.
As a result, some researchers say, the world's fields are becoming a laboratory for the largest unplanned ecological experiment in ...