I think it’s worth emphasizing how involved the process of gene editing is while being superficially simple as it explains both why GMOs have not until now been a pressing concern for home gardeners and smaller producers, and also what big social/moral/ecological effects might emerge in the future as GMO development costs drop.
So when I described the process of gene editing, I said a specific DNA sample is extracted from a donor sample, and injected into the DNA of a recipient. That is all true, but it’s not an easy process.
First, you have to sequence donor and recipient DNA and comb over the results to identify which genes code for specific desired characteristics. Any candidate donor genes need to be compatible with the recipient. Ie, if you injected the same snapdragon DNA into the human genome, it might very well NOT make all purple inside and out humans. More problematically, as many genes have multiple functions, or functions that are inactive in the donor but might affect the recipient, gene insertions could create unwanted side effects.
But also, genes arent something you or I can snip out of a DNA sample with craft scissors and paste in with glue. Its not something scientists in a lab can snip out with scalpels and insert with microdermal needles. Genes are snipped out by proteins and enzymes developed to snip at specific DNA sequences.
Developing and modifying proteins and enzymes is a whole field within a field. Protein folding modeling is one of the heaviest computational tasks driving the price of processors and video cards (aside from blockchain makework.
Then you need a vector, a virus/retrovirus/bacteria/parasite that inserts the donor gene at the right spot. And you need to modify that too so it picks up and releases at the sequence ends specified by you.
And then there’s growing out the recipient samples. You need a small number of cells in your recipient sample, so the sample gets in all the cells. That might mean growing your first individuals from tissue culture rather than whole seeds.
All this process to achieve changes that are very narrow. Until recently, we didnt need to worry about GMOs in home gardens, as there was simply no way anybody would sell enough seed packets to recoup the costs of making modifications relevant to home garden seeds
The only way GMOs were profitable until this year, was when selling seed on a massive commercial scale to the producers of the largest cash crops. Wheat, corn, and soy are the primary GMO crops. A purple tomato is probably pretty harmless, but it indicates that GMO development has advanced to the point that GMOs are on the cusp of being profitable to sell into the home gardener market.
One of the most widespread of GMO types is commonly known under Monsanto’s tradename “roundup ready”. Corn and grains have a sequence inserted that makes them immune to specific herbicides, which are then sprayed in doses toxic to all other life in these fields. Thats an ethical concern on its own, but whats worse is that Monsanto etc have gone after surrounding farmers for copyright infringement when their grain is cross pollinated by the Monsanto corn, or if farmers save seed from their GMO corn.
Its also theoretically possible to genetically modify seeds so they only produce one further generation, or are incompatible with other plants of the same species, so buyers become dependent on buying more seeds rather than seedsaving.
Now imagine those issues applied to the home gardener.
I dont think the process of genetic modification is inherently bad for health or the environment. Many GMOs could be neutral or even great. I do think purple tomatoes are a fun idea and probably completely harmless. However, I, like I think many people, am somewhat concerned about the profit motives driving GMO development, and that as it is becoming more prevalent, those impacts get more pronounced
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. I’ve heard Tomatoes can also be Naturally Spicy, they have the gene to be but it hasn’t been turned on yet. Perhaps GMO can finally turn it on? Or even Better, combine Epigenetics with GMO using both.
