Letters: Demystifying GM

This refers to Shanthu Shantharam's letter "The value of new biology" (April 23). Michael Antoniou, Claire Robinson and John Fagan have presented a detailed evidence-based examination of the claims for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified (GM) crops. They are academics and have many papers to their credit. They welcome the pro-GM advocates to produce something equally well researched, comprehensive and convincing. We are in "The Anthropocene Era", as the present human induced era is sometimes known - the main global threats come from humans and not from nature. We really do not know the negative impact of the powerful new technologies, be it cyber, bio, nano or others. We also do not know how we would handle these human-induced threats if and when they emerge.

H N Ramakrishna, Bangalore

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