Microbial Biologist Says Biotech Is Like a Religion, and it Is Failing
And biotech only made '2 GM traits in 40 years'
No one bats 1000, but according to Ignacio Chapela, a microbiologist from UC Berkeley in California, the biotech industry has utterly failed.He says they’ve only come up with 2 genetically modified traits in 40
years despite fouling our air, water, and soil, while genetically
engineering our food to withstand copious amounts of toxic chemicals.
Chapela says that no one talks about just how badly biotech
is progressing, despite billions spent on research and the
forever-promise of new organisms that repel pests, or to supposedly stop
malaria from spreading, or some other biotech-specific trait that they
have yet to master.
Chapela points out that GMO scientists have become like priests,
with a ‘central dogma’ that specific traits are determined by certain
genes. If that were true, we could have put wings on pigs to make them
fly. He explains:
“The whole foundation of genetics turns out to be wrong.
Eye color is not determined by a single gene. DNA is not a master
molecule. We have the benefit of 40 years (of GMOs failing) and should
liberate ourselves from the central dogma. How many (GMO) traits have
they developed? Two after 40 years.”
Chapela, and others like Bruce Lipton, a PhD biologist, don’t believe
that DNA is a ‘master molecule’ that determines a person or plant’s
traits. He and those who share his rare viewpoint understand that
environment plays a bigger role.
“What I become wasn’t in my grandparents’ DNA, it came
from the environment. If that single story is true, the whole edifice of
genetic engineering is mud on the ground,” said Chapela at a National
Heirloom Seed Expo.
Chapela also points out that genetic engineering is based on an
obsolete paradigm and is largely being pushed by a political agenda. He
said instead of promoting this dogma, scientists should be challenging the erroneously-erected paradigm, instead of selling out to it.
“The knowledge that a farmer has is as important as the soil, and seeds can’t be seen in isolation,” Chapela said.
