No more teary onion, thanks to genetic engineering
James Wachai, author of GMO Africa, posted an entry on the announcement that researchers in New Zealand have genetically modified an onion to not only be tear-free, but also be sweeter and healthier. Wachai writes that he is curious how the anti-GM activists will respond to this announcement, since the scientists did not insert a gene to accomplish this, but rather silenced one.
C.S. Prakash
No more teary onion, thanks to genetic engineering
GMO Africa
February 5, 2008
The blog, Rael the Prophet, reports on an article in the UK Telegraph about a research on a genetically engineered tear-free onion being collaboratively conducted by researchers from Japan and the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research. We’re all aware how teary an onion can be if mishandled when chopping. To men and women who spend considerable amounts of time cooking, this, definitely is news worth celebrating.
In addition to ridding onion of the gene that causes teary effects on our eyes, these researchers promise that this new variety will be sweeter and healthier.
What an exciting research? Indeed, it has generated quite a buzz. The journal Onion World, in its December edition, has featured this work, which is being piloted by Dr. Colin Eady. The popular environmental blog Environmental Grafita gleefully proclaims, GM onions means no more tears, with sarcasm:
Anti-GMO activists may soon be tearing up after a New Zealand company announced the development of a genetically modified tear free onion.
I can’t also wait to see their [anti-biotech activists] reactions. Instead of inserting a foreign gene into the onion, which has been the practice in crop genetic engineering, researchers in this project will be working to suppress the gene that makes onions teary.
