[Sca-cooks] Saving traditional livestock and plant stocks

[Stefan li Rous]

  Abot Johann von Metten commented:
> Well, Personaly I don't like GM foods, not because I
> nessecarily see them as 'unsafe' but I am much more
> invested in the propogation and maintainence of
> heritage breeds and strains of seeds and seed plants.
>
> Regardless of how many different types of GM grains
> and plants stuffs (as well as animals) we may have, if
> we fail to maintain a base population of 'normal'
> genetic stock, we place ourselves in danger of
> destroying the essence of the original forms.
This is definitely correct. We are already losing a lot of the 
varieties of potatoes that were once grown in South America. The same 
it is true of various livestock, fruits and other plants.

However, most developments have both good and bad sides and 
possiblities. This is also true of the genetic research that has been 
discussed so loudly here lately. It should be possible in the near 
future to save the record of the genetic pattern of a wide variety of 
plants and animals, not just a cat here or a mouse there. Once the 
sequencing is known then some time in the future we may be able to 
recreate that plant or animal long after that variation has 
disappeared. This is much more likely to be possible when examples of 
that species or even close neighbors of that organism still exist than 
say the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park movie fame, where the entire 
enviornment was gone as well as the genetic record being uncertain.

This has advantages over simply keeping heirloom stock alive since they 
will likely drift genetically over time due to breeding or natural 
genetic drift. The saved genetic code need not change.

The genetic material is likely never to be available in a sufficently 
pure form to do it, but if someone were able to re-create an exact copy 
with no genetic manipulations/variations of a medieval apple or orange, 
would you be willing to eat it? Assume multiple copies can be made and 
the one you were given were not the only one in existance.
Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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