What is our TL?

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Specifically, it'd doing the work of making the statement remotely accurate.

In fact, I'm tempted to take back my statement that it's probably a legitimate concern, because the thing is...yeah, it's possible that someone is allergic to that specific fish protein.

But not particularly because it's a fish protein. There's nothing about the (hypothetical?) fish protein that makes it more of an allergy threat than a protein from another plant, or the same plant, or almost anywhere...

Personally, it's not a potential allergen that I'd be worried about. It's unforseen effects of that gene on the plant itself. It's coming from a very different organism, and it could have quite unexpected secondary effects and expressions in a plant compared to what it had in a fish (or whatever). That doesn't mean such modified organisms should necessarily be banned, but it does justify (in my opinion) extra caution beyond that required when you cross two different strains of wheat.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Personally, it's not a potential allergen that I'd be worried about. It's unforseen effects of that gene on the plant itself. It's coming from a very different organism, and it could have quite unexpected secondary effects and expressions in a plant compared to what it had in a fish (or whatever). That doesn't mean such modified organisms should necessarily be banned, but it does justify (in my opinion) extra caution beyond that required when you cross two different strains of wheat.

Uh.

So on one hand, yes you should anticipate the significant possibility of unforseen effects in genetic engineering.

On the other hand, please note that I did not qualify that with 'transgenic', because such a qualification would be unfounded.

And on the gripping hand that argument obviously stands on its insinuation that unforseen effects actually means insidious danger. Which (while technically possible) is not, in fact, at all what unexpected effects of genetic manipulation tend to.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Personally, it's not a potential allergen that I'd be worried about. It's unforseen effects of that gene on the plant itself. It's coming from a very different organism, and it could have quite unexpected secondary effects and expressions in a plant compared to what it had in a fish.

The usual unexpected secondary effect is 'the organism dies'. The odds of it doing something unexpected and interesting are no greater than for other forms of breeding.