Diffuse perspectives: how to deal with DNA?
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Society is divided on the subject of genetic engineering. Food that can do without them is welcomed. The corona vaccines, which are pure genetic engineering, are celebrated. Is the new government ready to pave the way for existentially important innovations? A guest post.
D.he attitude of our society towards genetic engineering was and is ambivalent. On the one hand, many foods are labeled with the label “Ohne Gentechnik” in order to appear particularly quality-conscious; on the other hand, the new types of vaccines against the coronavirus are welcomed, if not celebrated. They are pure genetic engineering. The situation has been so controversial for decades. Applications in medicine are highly desirable; applications in agriculture are evil. Where does this negative attitude of our society towards genetic engineering, especially in agriculture, come from?
There are many reasons for this, only a few of which are mentioned here: On the one hand, genetic engineering products, i.e. fruits or seeds, in the past contained genes from different species, mostly genes from microorganisms, the products of which confer antibiotic resistance. This was necessary in the early stages of genetic engineering for technical reasons, but no longer today. It also bothered the public that science often does not speak to one language in this new field. This has been interpreted as a sign of uncertainty, although some back and forth of opinions is inherent in the scientific process. After all, the first generation of genetic engineering had to serve as the scapegoat for a failed agricultural policy, especially in Brazil and Argentina. Large parts of the Amazon jungle were and are being cleared there in order to gain land for the cultivation of soy, but also maize, rapeseed and cotton, which are very often grown from genetically modified seeds.
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