One can make a long list of pseudo-science movements: creationists, homeopaths, climate change deniers, astrologers, vaccine-autism scare mongers, and so on. To that list I would like to add a large portion of the GM Food opponents.
It is very rare to see any scientifically valid criticism of GMO. Most of the arguments I see against it are of the type "people are worried, so we should not use it, so we do not worry people", an argument that is set up to worry people. And then there are arguments against a particular genetically modified crop, where some obscure report has hinted at the possibility of a risk. Now, I have not seen any valid such report of any of the approved GMOs. And even if there had been, that would have been a argument against that particular GMO - not against all of them. It would not have been an argument against GM as a solution.
Looking at what a genetic modification is, it is not mystic in any way. It is not "unnatural" like inhaling burnt nicotine and tar. GM is a matter of moving genes around, just like organisms already do in nature.
Every single one of us is a genetically modified version of our parents. We have a different set of genes, a mix from our parents and we have a few mutations, most of which are harmless. We are all mutants. Say that together everyone: We are all mutants!
That is nothing to be scared of. Nothing is perfectly clean in this world. We are surrounded by weak radioactive rays, to cheer those up who are scared of radiation, and we have a few mutations. That is just what the world is like.
GM does not introduce anything new - no new poisons or drugs. It is simply a shortcut to breed new variants quicker. Man has bred new variants of crops for thousands of years, and if we had not done so, we would still be nomadic hunter gatherers without cities, writing, roads, hospitals, theatre, films or smart phones.
In some situations, GMO could be ecologically safer than other crops. If a new insect threatens some crops, it is possible that we have the choice of using either a resistant GM variant of the crops or to apply chemically produced insecticides. The immune GM variant may simply be resistant, while the insecticide is accumulated in the food chain and could harm other animals. If we are so scared of GMO that we ban them, the harmful insecticide is the only way out.
Anyhow, this does not mean that we necessarily have to let all GMO loose. Just like with other new technology, we need to study it and control it. Any scientifically valid study about its issues or advantages is welcome. Any reasonable criticism is welcome. This blog post does not bring up all aspects. What happens if the speed of evolution increases dramatically with our food with more and more GM? Will we have the time to verify long term effects of the combinations of all modifications, if development suddenly goes faster than our control institutions? What happens if non-verified GMOs are released in countries that cannot afford proper verification? Can we be sure that no GMO will take over as invasive species?
I do not have answers to those questions, and I would like to have them. However, completely banning GMOs is not the right way to get the answers.
This flower is not genetically modified as far as I know, but it could have been. A flower that is bred or genetically modified to its current genotype would smell as sweet.
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