Neil deGrasse Tyson – responds to GMO Food Critics

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson responds to critics of Genetically Modified Foods (GMO).

Political comedian Bill Maher weighed in on Monsanto and GMOs on the June 22 2012 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher – panel included Nick Gillespie, Rachel Maddow, Mort Zuckerman & Mark Ruffalo. Yes on Prop 37 in California! http://www.sunfood.com/prop37
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39 thoughts on “Neil deGrasse Tyson – responds to GMO Food Critics”

  1. fun fact. people with cancer are told to eat organic food. have you ever been to whole foods? pretty much every customer has a beautiful body.

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  2. I like Neil deGrasse, but he is completely off mark on this topic! His comment about all foods being genetically modified for thousands of years, is true. However they were not modified to resist harsh chemical compounds, like Roundup for thousands of years! Here is what needs to be asked. Why is it that autism, sterility, ED, cancer, and many other afflictions have increased dramatically over the past 20 years???? It also important to remember that the first GMO's were only introduced in 1996.

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  3. A lot of people are not taking into consideration that our food, as he stated, has been altered in some way through artificial selection; almost all the fruit you've ever eaten is probably a clone of another fruit you've eaten, been that way for thousands of years. If you're going to bring up a study, be sure to double check it, because it may very well be that the significant effect is 1 in a million, being consistent with no effect, like with the whole cell-phone-causing-cancer thing, double check the studies that are done instead of searching for your own confirmation bias. Every time I've looked at what any scientist has said is consistent with what Dr. Tyson has stated in this video. I don't care what you think you know or what you believe, because just as he's (Neil Tyson) has said "while you're fixated on the doubts of what we've already verified, science will continue to progress without you."

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  4. And what deFatty is not saying is that most of the GMO food people buy is not good for people to eat. Many people complain about digestive issues as a result of eating GMO food. It seems that deFatty ignores the issues people are concerned with and tries to use fear and a type of shame tactic to tell GMO opponents that they are wrong. Perhaps deFatty should try a whole food, plant-based diet that is grown primarily from his own yard to see the difference in quality, taste, and health (yes, he needs to lose a few pounds). Perhaps HE will "chill out" after seeing the positive effects this would have on him.

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  5. People are not afraid of GMOs, they are afraid of the corrupt and greedy corporations in charge of them. Like Tyson said, plants have been bred and modified for centuries. The difference now are the motives, is it being done for improvement or for profit? Is it being done for the benefit of humanity or the one percent?

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  6. The technology of "gene drive" is just the latest and most egregious example of how in-lab genetic modification of organisms (GMOs) is dangerous and can not be compared to the kind of artificial selection humans have been doing for thousands of years.

    Gene drive was developed by Esvelt and his team to assure the engineered gene to be passed by almost 100% certainty to the next generation —making natural selection impossible. As explained in an interview with Esvelt, once a gene with gene drive is released into the wild, "gene drive does not stop. You release one mouse with gene drive, you have potentially just changed the genetics of every mouse on the planet". Forever. According to Wikipedia "the derived gene drives could theoretically be used to engineer almost any trait" in any species of animal or plant.

    According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN (FAO), "there is scientific consensus that once widely released, recalling transgenes or foreign DNA sequences, whose safety is still subject to scientific debate, will not be feasible." The FAO warns that “genes can end up in unexpected places: through "gene escape" they can pass on to other members of the same species and perhaps other species.” And “it is not yet known whether artificial insertion of genes could destabilise an organism, encouraging mutations, or whether the inserted gene itself will keep stable in the plant over generations. There is no conclusive data on this issue."

    http://www.swissbiofarmer.com/blog/2017/9/2/gmos-gene-drive-this-should-scare-the-sht-out-of-you

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  7. Tyson has a lot less credibility after having made these claims about GMOs. Either he is being purposely ignorant and stupid, or he is purposely attemoting to manipulate people with fallacies. 1) There is a strong distinction between natural hybridizing food/domesticating animals and GMOs, and unless he is stupid, he knows this. 2) Most scientists who defend GMOs almost always ignore the connection with corporate corruption and privatization, and I have yet to hear Tyson say anything about it. But GMOs give corrupt corporations more power in the crony capitalism that dominates global economies. For some reason, scientists such as Tyson avoid discussing this most important issue. 3) What's wrong with eating wild food? People should eat more of it, despite Tyson's negative declaration about "wild apples." 4) Why don't you, Tyson, just tell people to leave America if they don't agree with its foreign and domestic policies? You are simply telling GMO critics to shut up. Why don't you think before you make stupid claims, Tyson? Again, he has a lot less credibility now.

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  8. Lol obesity cancer autism diabetes heart disease Parkinson are breaking records as gmo has taken over the marketplace. Nothing to see here

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  9. Neil is overweight and will likely become impotent contract diabetes heart disease and cancer. Never listen to a fat guy talk about food

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  10. The point he is making is that artificial selection does produce the same end result, gene modification. And, it's less extact. Modification in the lab usually targets 1 or 2 genes. Cross breeding results in hundreds of modified genes. The difference is how you get there. The question is why do people fear the laboratory modification? And why is there legislation governing it, but not cross breeding?

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  11. MORE GMO propaganda. Monsanto has been BUSTED for paying scientists to fawn over GMO propaganda and push it to the masses over and over. This is their MO. Jus' waitin' for Tyson/Nye to be busted. ANY company that tries to buy seeds to control our world food supply is EVIL. DO NOT TRUST THEM!!!!!

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  12. Im not close as intelligent as this man, however, I do know the difference in artificial selection and making a crop round-up ready through the use of genetic engineering. Im sure he does too. I believe he also hits on the fact that we don't fully understand it. I don't believe the scientists that do this sort of thing entirely understand it either. It's only been a few decades since people have been playing with genes. Who's to say what the side effects will be. Think about any medication on the market, just listen to the commercials now days. Insomnia? Take Ambien Quit smoking take Chantix. Ohh yeah btw, you may do things you can't remember have neurological disorders and kill yourself, but at least you quit smoking and can sleep. Science in both GMO and medicine just seem so rushed and profit driven.

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  13. SOO disappointed with this guy. I thought he was better than that. The big difference with GMO is the Pesticide built in that has been so far shown to cause cancers and abnormalities especially with 3rd gen off spring. Hes either unknowing or a sellout. Red delicous apples taste great but theres no poison built in to prevent bugs from eating this shit. Hes officially a bad guy in my eyes and GMO will harm your DNA. Fuck this guy

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  14. Why not just use better living through chemistry to boost plant yields? No need for GMO.
    Also, label your GMOs. If people are going to eat it, they should at least do it willingly.
    Maybe they're afraid that chemists creating better living through chemistry(BLTC, BTLC) to boost plants is better than GMO.
    BLTC plants are superior to GMO plants! BLTC > GM
    To the lab!
    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130417185531.htm

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  15. Dear Mr. Tyson, I am a great admirer of you and all you do to spread scientific knowledge and method around the world. While I agree with pretty much everything you say, I must say, I think you completely missed the main point. The problem is not GMO, the problem is Monsanto and similar private, for profit big corporations who, I believe, have not the moral standard necessary to handle such a delicate matter. I believe the public would have no problem if GMO was handled by a public scientific institution like NASA. All the problems we have today can be traced to corporate greed and this cannot longer be tolerate. Every day we hear how private corporations, especially the big, huge ones, abuse our system in name of profits often with deadly consequences for the public and almost none for them. They talk about competition but they tend to create monopolies and cartels. They have the money to buy our democracy and they do it every day… actually they already did it.
    Communism doesn't work, socialism doesn't work, capitalism doesn't work so we have to come out with something else or we're doomed. Direct democracy? Maybe, today we have the tools, internet, blockchain, etc. There is an interesting experiment actually done on Italy called Rousseau by M5S, if you are not aware of it, I would take a look. I say public matter in public hands and private matters in private hands and please, no more exponential growth. We have entrusted private interest to handle public matters and this huge mistake is costing us our planet. So, yes to GMO, NO to Monsanto.

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  16. Wonder why the US is the only country that sells GMO? Every other country mostly have sanctions against and the EU has put out the reasons why, the studies speak for themselves and I would trust independent studies from other countries before I'd take a scientists word that is paid by the same corporation it's paid to protect. The scientists who tests these things should be in no way affiliated with the Fortune 500 company that is pushing the food or product. Anyone can see the potential bias here.

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  17. Bill Maher, we disagree on MANY things, but you are dead on. Thank you. You are consistent in your views and that I can respect. You do not tow any party line. Rock on Bill. Can't believe I just said that.

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  18. GMO is the asbestos of the Food Industry. When you see "GMO" think ~> Glyphosate Modified Organism (FYI Glyphosate is also sold as RoundUp.) People pushing GMO are on the wrong side of history. Grats to all who see chemical weapons corps like Monsanto Bayer for the global bullies they are.

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  19. Ironically Bill Maher claiming corporations owning America. Lmao.. Bill Maher is so fake!! He's a puppet, paid to manipulate and deceive Americans. He pretends to have moderate views, constantly balancing certain topics as long as the subject doesn't affect the corporation that pays him or their political agenda. Western Media are all controlled by the same cult, with the same agendas. Americans are good people but incredibly naive!

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  20. Actor mark ruffalo is a guest to give his knowledge on genetically modified food, next week Angelina jolie and Justing Beiber will be guests to discuss Cosmology, Quantum Physics, Medicine, and Economics.

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  21. I thought it was interesting at the beginning. He is basically saying all these corporations are evil. Except for HBO, which I work for! That is perfectly fine! Gotta love him and his smugness.

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  22. No worries about a the food supply regulated by smart biochemists and genetic engineers. F&^k all you redneck farmers!!

    Why does Amazon even want whole foods now that they cannot even label their own food??

    Why on Earth-day would the benificent billionaire elite class try and take over the US food supply??

    Monopoly!!When will there ever be a more perfect time to dodge any public antitrust concerns?

    The population of the US, as well as all major media outlets here, are all far too distracted by their false-flag obsessions to push either a pro-Trump or an anti-Trump narrative. Who has time to worry about some lone wolf billionaire taking control of the US food supply, a brilliant but ruthless guy who already owns many of the major retail lines of distribution, controls news via the Washington Post, and significantly supports nearly half of Washington DC’s key politicians.

    “It will be better for all of us,” say the bankers and Monsanto PR execs.

    And if not, no worries—there’s always the hard-working 2-earner tax-paying families in the US to finance a safety net, and rescue the billionaires when yet another key US institution grows ‘too big to fail.”

    All good, so long as Mr Trump succeeds, or gets deposed, depending on your specific propaganda-of-choice. That’s what really matters.

    Now eat your generously super- sized antibiotic/hormone-laden disgustingly thick and tasteless chicken white-meat swollen 'fresh' fruit engineered for your eating pleasure by your friendly neighborhood biochemist, watch you 6 hours of daily cable, sleep like an exhausted dead person, return to your job tomorrow (if you still have one) and shut the f*&^k up!! You thankless deplorable!!

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  23. WOULD YOU ALLOW A MECHANIC WHO KNOWS ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT THE PARTS OF YOUR CAR TO WORK ON IT?
    This is exactly what Monsanto is doing, they know almost nothing about the 40,000 chemical compounds in produce? And yet they are moving from conventional genetic modification, to gene editing…This is "INSANE MONSANTO SCIENCE!"
    —Read this simple statement below and become very afraid of what it says about the GMO science at Monsanto?…
    "How are Phytonutrients Classified?"
    "Some researchers estimate up to 40,000 phytonutrients will someday be fully cataloged and understood. In just the last 30 years, many hundreds of these compounds have been identified and are currently being investigated for their health-promoting qualities."
    Reference:
    What is the Special Nutritional Power found in Fruits and Vegetables?
    http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=4
    Simply put, phytonutrients are active compounds in plants that have been shown to provide benefit to humans … The major classes of phytonutrients include

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  24. G.M.O's are killing us, 100% Fact,, they won't feed the starving in 3rd world countries because they will die in mass numbers, then their crap would be exposed to the world

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