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by Sailendra Nath Ghosh

Despite the massive evidence that harmony with nature gives plenitude and permanence, the practitioners of 'nature-conquering science' are now embarking on a yet more dangerous course - namely, 'transgenic genetic engineering'.

Bioscience - whose purpose was to understand the interlinkages between and among plant and animal species and to find therefrom the clues to least expensive agri-and other cultures and cures for diseases - has long been hijacked by commercial interests to enthrone biotechnology, in which the emphasis is on mass production rather than production by the masses.

Hybridisation, tissue culture, even cloning to a limited extent of endangered species to repair the damage of near-extinction already done to bioresources, was permissible.

But what is now being attempted in the wake of the failure of the 'green revolution ' is a hydra-headed disaster, a biological holocaust, more insidious than nuclear holocaust because it is silent and in the initial stages imperceptible.

The 'bright' idea is to transfer genes to unrelated species that never interbreed in nature, such as inserting toad genes into potatoes or genes of some bacteria into crop plants.

Scientists have taken the gene in a firefly that emits light and inserted it into the genetic code of the tobacco plant. An anti-freeze gene from the 'founder fish' has been inserted into the genetic code of the tomato plant to protect the plant from cold spells.

Insecticide-producing genes from bacteria and viruses are being inserted into plants. Attempts are thus being made to create novel life forms that have not existed before.

Hidden dangers

Transfer of gene to unrelated species is a new and extremely complicated subject. A very special kind of genetic engineering is needed to break down the natural defence mechanism against intrusions by any other species.

New types of vectors ('carriers') able to implant the gene by crossing species barriers need to be created, for these do not exist in nature. This process is called horizontal transfer of gene, unlike vertical transfer, which takes place from the parent to the offspring.

Horizontal transfers are possible only through the agents of infection. Hence, pathogens (bacteria, viruses) which carry infections across the species become the basic building blocks for such creations.

But the natural pathogens, by themselves, are neither suitable nor effective for this purpose. These pathogens need to be purged of their directly disease-producing abilities, for no firm can do business for long if its technique makes the crop-plant palpably diseased. The natural pathogens cannot also be effective because they lack the mechanism to super-impose their gene by overwhelming the plant's native gene.

Hence, pests of several most infectious pathogens are joined together - that is, pests of viruses, plasmids and mobile genetic material are combined - to make artificial vectors designed to overcome species barriers. The gene of interest is spliced into these vectors. Adverse consequences

This manner is infusion of transgenic gene is likely to produce the following adverse consequences:

1. Because the gene products introduced into our food crops are from bacteria and viruses and non-food species, the new genes are apt to produce new toxins in foods.

2. Since no gene functions in isolation, the new toxins and allergens and the changes in the concentration of existing toxins will spread and keep going up the food chain. At the same time, the 'purified Bt-toxins' in transgenic crops, far from becoming non-degradable by soil microbes, become killers of soil organisms. These are also likely to accelerate antibiotic resistance in varied groups of 'pests'.

3. Once released, the genes cannot be recalled and have the potential to multiply and recombine with other infecting viruses (as distinct from crippled or deactivated viruses) uncontrollably for successive round of horizonal transfers.

4. The very cellular mechanisms that enable the foreign genes to force-integrate into the genome can also mobilise these genes to jump out. For example, the enzyme integrase, which catalyses the integration of viral DNA into the genome, also functions as a disintegrase, catalysing the reverse reaction. The integrases being present in all genomes, the foreign genes can re-insert into another site in the organisms by secondary, tertiary and quaternary horizontal transfers.

5. Since the transgenic crop-plants are being engineered to be resistant to broad-spectrum pesticides, there will be a tendency to use more of these pesticides to kill the non-crop plants indiscriminately, which in turn will destroy the insects, birds and other animals that depend on the plants for food and shelter.

This will also harm soil micro-organisms which have vital roles in nutrient recycling. Thus, it will, on the one hand, greatly damage the species diversity now obtained in nature and on the other, give rise to super-infectious viruses, super-pests and super-weeds, tearing apart the web of life and shutting out the scope of redemption.

Terminator technology

Apart from transgenic engineering, biotechnology's other pet project is 'terminator technology'. It has been given the innocuous-looking name 'Control of Plant Gene Expression'.

Earlier scientists in the name of developing seeds with disease-resistant, drought-resistant, high-yielding, early maturing and such other traits, had succeeded in evolving seeds whose germinated products could not reproduce.

Now, a 'terminator technology' has been developed to deliberately create sterile seeds. This is done by selectively programming a plant's DNA to kill its own embryo. This is a sinister plan to tie up the farmer in permanent dependence on the seed corporations.

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