Mozi Salon focuses on 'genetically modified in dispute'

On the afternoon of June 30, the "Mozi Salon", a public welfare science forum sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences, hosted a large-scale popular science event, "The Scientific Spirit of China", inviting experts to give speeches and conduct cross-border dialogues on topics such as genetically modified disputes, genetically modified science, and cutting-edge applications of genetically modified organisms, to show the progress of the frontiers of genetically modified diseases, to explore contradictions and confusion, and to promote the return of public awareness of genetically modified organisms to science and reason.
Lu Baorong, a special professor at Fudan University's School of Life Sciences, said in a report entitled "The "Previous Life" and "This Life" of GENETICS that GM technology uses biotechnology to transfer good genes from organisms to another organism, such as crops. Humans, he said, have emulated natural hybridization of plants and animals to create artificial hybridization methods, and genetically modified technologies are more efficient, more targeted and able to overcome barriers to reproductive isolation between species. At a time when the world's population is growing, arable land is inadequate and the agricultural environment is destroyed, the use of genetic resources and new technologies is a better way to ensure food production.
Lu Baorong said that the application of insect-resistant genes in China's cotton cultivation has greatly reduced pesticide spraying, "can be said to have saved China's cotton industry", Yuan Longping research and cultivation of hybrid rice for many years, in recent years began to study the use of genetically modified technology to further transform rice varieties, hoping to improve its photocodescation efficiency. At present, the development of genetically modified biotechnology belongs to the national strategic deployment, is involved in China's food security, "the international market competition of genetically modified technology is fierce, China must not miss the opportunity of biotechnology development."
, a professor at China Agricultural University, answers public concerns about whether GM foods alter human genes, whether they cause allergies, cancer, pesticide residues, and so on. He said that human beings from ancient times to the present day to eat meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, fruits, food, edible bacteria, wine, etc. are from a variety of plants and animals and microorganisms genes, "can be said to bite down, full of genes." All foods have a genetic component, DNA, which enters the body and is broken down into small molecules by the digestive system, which does not enter human tissue in the form of genes, and does not affect the human genome. In addition, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, publishes an updated list of carcinogens each year, and genetically modified foods are not on the list.
Jianbin, a professor at Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication, analyzed the reasons for the difficulty of GM science in a report entitled "Perspective on the Social Controversy Surrounding GM". He cited china's GM-related disputes since 2002, as well as the Baidu index search for data on GM issues, pointing out that the public's concern and focus on GM issues is related to social events. The research shows that the degree of public trust in research institutions, the degree of scientific knowledge and values all affect their attitude towards GM.