One of the most common food myths of our time is that GMOs are “frankenfoods” while heirloom or organic varieties are natural, the way that Mother Earth created them. In reality, GMO-as-unnatural and organic-as-natural is a false dichotomy.
Seedless watermelon
The delicious seedless watermelon we enjoy is far from natural (and neither is modern watermelon with seeds). The refreshing seedless fruit was created by crossing a parent with four sets of chromosomes with a parent with two sets….
Note that the watermelon parent with four sets of chromosomes doesn’t occur naturally. A two-set “diploid” seedling is treated with a mutagenic chemical called colchicine… The triploid (three sets of chromosomes) offspring of the diploid and tetraploid watermelons try and fail to create their gametes due to the odd number of chromosomes sets.
Related on the SLP
Broccoli and brussels sprouts
[T]he wild cabbage Brassica oleracea has been dubbed “the dog of the plant world.” Bred from this wild cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi and more are members of the same species domesticated in different parts of the world for these seemingly distinct traits. For example, kale was bred by selecting plants that were particularly leafy, while cauliflower was bred for its beloved flower buds.The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: 5 Non-GMO ‘Frankenfoods’ We Eat Every Day
