Photo of the day

Hard to imagine a better source for a photo gallery than a flood leading to escaped zoo animals (in Tblisi, Georgia).  Via In Focus:

A man gestures to an escaped hippopotamus in a flooded street in Tbilisi on June 14, 2015. #

Beso Gulashvili / Reuters

 

Where the kids today get their news

Facebook.  Interesting report from Pew looking at the sources different generations rely upon for news.  Here’s the key chart:

 

And, looks like plenty of us Gen X’ers, too.   There’s a bunch of sites that I seek out every single day (and you can probably figure out what they are based on my links), but I also come across a bunch of interesting stories that I never otherwise would have because my friends shared them on FB (and lots of ’em end up in Quick Hits).  In fact, I think this very report came up because I started following Pew on FB.

Of course, the more your friends are like you, the more you stay in your news Filter Bubble.  My friends definitely lean left, but far more than that, I think they lean Interesting.

Fear of GMO

Enjoyed this recent Jane Brody column on fear and GMO food:

Let’s start with the facts. Humans have been genetically modifying food and feed plants and animals for millenniums, until recently only by repeatedly crossing existing ones with relatives that have more desirable characteristics. It can take many years, even decades, to achieve a commercially viable product this way because unwanted traits can come in the resulting hybrids. While it may be nice to have a tomato that can withstand long-distance travel, the fruit also has to ripen evenly and, most important, taste good.

Genetic engineering makes it possible to achieve a desired outcome in one generation…

As for safety, G.M.O.’s are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. Developers must test the product for toxicity and allergenicity as well as assure that its nutrient content is at least as good as its non-G.M.O. counterpart.

Yes, this depends on the developer’s honesty, but note: There is no such testing required for traditionally bred foods, any number of which are known to cause life-threatening reactions in some people.Many popular non-G.M.O. foods, including broccoli, mushrooms and carrots, contain natural toxins, though the foods are not harmful to people when consumed in normal amounts. Kiwis, with hundreds of novel proteins, many of which have allergic potential, were never tested for allergenicity before they were marketed.

Peanuts, shellfish, celery and strawberries have not been banned despite some people being allergic to them. It may even be possible to use genetic engineering to get rid of the allergenic proteins in such foods…

Are there risks to G.M.O.s that scientists have yet to consider or discover? Of course there are. Nothing in this life is risk-free, but that is not enough reason to reject valuable scientific advances.

Good points.  I don’t usually read comments (though NYT recommended comments often offer useful insight), but the majority of comments to this piece that I read where quite illuminating.  Almost no engagement with the basic arguments here about science and risk, but a heck of a lot about glyphosate and Monsanto (one particular form of GMO product).  If GMO’s encourage the use of too many dangerous pesticides (not that I’m taking a position on the issue right here), then let’s discuss whether plants sprayed with Round-Up should be in our food supply, not whether we should have GMO crops.  Even if we are all being poisoned with glyphosate (personally, I’ll take my chances with that), there’s a major baby/bathwater issue going on here.