Ebola cure and GMO's

[Eko]

"Sources told CNN the medicine given to Brantly and Writebol abroad was a three-mouse monoclonal antibody, meaning that mice were exposed to fragments of the Ebola virus and then the antibodies generated within the mice's blood were harvested to create the medicine."
"However, the drug can also be produced with proteins made from tobacco plants. ZMapp manufacturer Kentucky BioProcessing in Owensboro has been working with Samaritan's Purse and Emory University Hospital to provide limited quantities of the drug to Emory, according to company spokesman David Howard."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/04/health/ebola-drug-questions/

Of course I will get the usual "corporate shill", "Could you be a troll?" and "You are anti-organic" comments from many on here just because I like science.

[Warpy]

1. First thing tobacco's actually been useful for.

They've been doing GMO bacteria for decades, which is why people now take a human analong insulin produced by e-coli instead of the pork insulin to which so many became either allergic or strongly resistant to.

I have nothing about engineering plants for useful characteristics, like a higher protein rice and other useful crops. Selective saving of seed did the same thing, albeit very, very slowly.

I do want GMO crops to be labeled as such. People who want to pay megabucks for non GMO stuff should be allowed to know.

However, putting BT into crops was a bad idea, especially for the monarch butterfly. That was a blunder and that needs to be recalled.

I am delighted that something useful has been done with the tobacco plant.

[Eko]

2. I am not sold on the mandatory labeling yet.

It seems like it will amount to negative advertising to a group that are scientifically unreasonable. I have had this discussion a few times on DU and I found that the largest food recall that killed the most in America was from a organic farmer (it may not have been from organic farming though as they used both organic and non organic fertilizer). I have no problems eating organic, I do quite often and the fact that it is organic does not scare me in one bit and I do not feel the need to have things labeled organic, so why would I think the opposite?.

[Warpy]

3. A lot of people think you don't have to wash organic stuff, especially the vegetables.

That couldn't be more wrong, since organic farmers use lots of manure instead of ammonium nitrate. Some of that manure might not be well composted so it can transmit bad intestinal bugs.

I like that it's labeled, it gives us the chance to support farmers who are building the soil instead of depleting it. However, giving it a wash or a peel is necessary, extremely so.