Today's example of GMOs behaving well

[Gulo Blue]

RNA breakthrough creates crops that can grow 50% more potatoes, rice
https://news.uchicago.edu/story/rna...-50-percent-more-potatoes-rice-climate-change

A genetic tweak that targets RNA can grow crops that yield significantly more food and show increased drought tolerance, announced scientists from the University of Chicago, Peking University and Guizhou University.

 

[Michchamp]

This thread got buried, so I didn't notice it at first.

There has to be a catch though, right? But this is probably necessary... I read an article a while back that said the rate of temperature increases (we should just go back to calling it Global Warming because ultimately that's what the problem is) will outstrip the rate of plant species' ability to adapt. So we'll probably need to assist nature in growing maple and oak trees that can live in a desert for example.

 

[byco42]

Interesting where the max of 1 degree delta in F temp has occurred over the last 30 years.

 

[Michchamp]

Interesting where the max of 1 degree delta in F temp has occurred over the last 30 years.

I assume existing weather patterns affect how the heat is distributed, and the layout of the continents & ocean currents plays a role in weather patterns. I was just reading about how the heating is expected to shut down the gulf stream current, as massive amounts of cold fresh water from melting ice pour into the North Atlantic. That may have the temporary effect of making the British Isles cooler, as the warmer gulf stream stops flowing to them.

 

[byco42]

I assume existing weather patterns affect how the heat is distributed, and the layout of the continents & ocean currents plays a role in weather patterns. I was just reading about how the heating is expected to shut down the gulf stream current, as massive amounts of cold fresh water from melting ice pour into the North Atlantic. That may have the temporary effect of making the British Isles cooler, as the warmer gulf stream stops flowing to them.

Can you offer a link please? I?d be interested in reading that.

 

[byco42]

Who took this picture of earth?

 

[Michchamp]

Can you offer a link please? I?d be interested in reading that.

I'd have to search for it. the news site I read everyday (Naked Capitalism) usually includes 3-4 daily links to articles on climate change news (among a dozen or so other regular topics), and I read a couple and delete them. It would be nice if we had a non-politicized (!) thread here to collect articles on such topics and discuss.

 

[tinselwolverine]

Interesting where the max of 1 degree delta in F temp has occurred over the last 30 years.

Looks like Russia and China and India are creating the most heat, and surprisingly our lib neighbors to the north Canada, eh?

We don?t look to be doing all that bad.

 

[Michchamp]

Looks like Russia and China and India are creating the most heat, and surprisingly our lib neighbors to the north Canada, eh?

We don?t look to be doing all that bad.

i assume there's not a local correlation to heat and CO2 (or other greenhouse gas) emissions.

Canada does produce a lot of oil and gas though. the western provinces like Alberta are their equivalent of Texas.

 

[tinselwolverine]

i assume there's not a local correlation to heat and CO2 (or other greenhouse gas) emissions.

Canada does produce a lot of oil and gas though. the western provinces like Alberta are their equivalent of Texas.

Do they ride around in pickups totin? guns and waivin? the flag of Alberta?

 

[byco42]

Do they ride around in pickups totin? guns and waivin? the flag of Alberta?

Not sure, but I may move to Baffin Island should things get anymore sideways here in the contiguous 48.

 

[Michchamp]

Not sure, but I may move to Baffin Island should things get anymore sideways here in the contiguous 48.

Good call. Baffin Island will have a Mediterranean climate in 30-40 years. Primo real estate.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Interesting where the max of 1 degree delta in F temp has occurred over the last 30 years.

1?F/decade would be 3? over 30 years. A shocking rate of change.

 

[Gulo Blue]

This is one of the better charts for conveying what that rate of change looks like and it's only showing 0.4?/decade (which is probably closer to the average for that chart)

https://xkcd.com/1732/

 

[Gulo Blue]

This thread got buried, so I didn't notice it at first.

There has to be a catch though, right?

Maybe, maybe not. We've genetically engineered the crap out of a ton of stuff already. As long as people are starving, it's hard to quantify any ill effects we don't know how to attribute and say it wasn't worth it.

Norman Borlaug is a good google. Wikipedia if you want to read. "Norman Borlaug Penn Teller" if you want a youtube video.

 

[zyxt9]

I'm doing my best to stay on an organic diet, personally. On the one hand, I can appreciate what science needs to do in order to feed the 8 billion inhabitants. On the other, GMO food does not taste as good, nor do I perceive it to be a healthier option long term.

The real challenge to global warming, the one most often missed, is the total biomass of humans is too high for a properly balanced ecosystem. There are far too many people gobbling up fewer and fewer resources.

 

[tinselwolverine]

I'm doing my best to stay on an organic diet, personally. On the one hand, I can appreciate what science needs to do in order to feed the 8 billion inhabitants. On the other, GMO food does not taste as good, nor do I perceive it to be a healthier option long term.

The real challenge to global warming, the one most often missed, is the total biomass of humans is too high for a properly balanced ecosystem. There are far too many people gobbling up fewer and fewer resources.

This is the problem with the GMO food in the age of the Covid. You can?t tell if the food just sucks or if you?re dying.

 

[Gulo Blue]

I'm doing my best to stay on an organic diet, personally. On the one hand, I can appreciate what science needs to do in order to feed the 8 billion inhabitants. On the other, GMO food does not taste as good, nor do I perceive it to be a healthier option long term.

The real challenge to global warming, the one most often missed, is the total biomass of humans is too high for a properly balanced ecosystem. There are far too many people gobbling up fewer and fewer resources.

I don't think it's inherent to GMOs that they taste worse, but the work has been mostly done with the goal of making food cheaper and more resistant to weather and shipping issues. Prioritizing those things means not prioritizing taste. I think there's a GMO rice with elevated vitamin A that's done wonders for health in India.

The population, from what I've read, is expected to grow to 12 billion and then settle to 9 if thing go well and we don't have some sort of global disaster.

 

[Gulo Blue]

Organic or not, crazy heirloom tomato varieties from farmers markets whup anything in a big grocery store.