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SMC Heads-Up: GM risk assessment, smoking genes, birds
SMC Heads-Up: GM risk assessment, smoking genes and bird extinction
Issue 224
29 March - 4 April 2013
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How safe is
'safe enough'?
A group of academics claim GM products such as soybeans are not being subjected to sufficient scrutiny from regulators. But regulators counter that there is no evidence of extra risk to justify it.
A recent analysis by
Professor Jack Heinemann, director of the University of
Canterbury's Centre for Integrated Research in
Biosafety, and colleagues, critically examined
several regulatory bodies and how they assess genetically
modified organisms carrying a modification that produces a
molecule that can inhibit other genes (double stranded RNA;
dsRNA).
The study, published last week in the journal Environmental International, concluded that, "regulatory bodies are not adequately assessing the risks of dsRNA-producing GM products."
The authors put forward their vision for an ideal formal assessment procedure, involving multiple levels of bioinformatic, in vitro, animal and possibly human clinical assessments before approval could be granted in each individual case.
Prof Peter Langridge, an Australian plant geneticist, dismissed the criticism in comments provided to the SMC, stating, "in their article, this group proposes regulatory procedures that are clearly designed to block the technology, not address safety issues."
"The regulatory agencies are not only fully aware of the technology [in question] but they are actively seeking scientific input into the safety assessment. We are fortunate in Australia and New Zealand to have very effective and profession regulatory procedures that have ensured we now enjoy the safest food in our history."
Food biotechnology senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Dr David Tribe, added, "the double-stranded RNAs that are discussed in [the paper] are in every bit of food we eat, and in perhaps every plant and animal on the planet, and have been for millennia."
He went on to emphasise that much less is known about conventional plant varieties that come to market without regulatory oversight, in contrast to new crops developed with GM techniques.
Chief Scientist Paul Brent of Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the agency responsible for approving genetically modified products for use in both countries, appeared today alongside Prof Jack Heinemann on Radio New Zealand's Nine to Noon programme to address the issue.
You can read comments in full and further media coverage of the issue on the Science Media Centre website.
Smoking genes predict risk
Your DNA may play a significant role in determining whether or not you end up a smoker - and how easy you find it to kick the habit.
Many large studies have identified
particular gene variants that are more common in smokers
than other people, suggesting the they play a role in
nicotine dependence.
Now an international team of
researchers have used these genetic clues develop a 'genetic
risk profile', and to see how accurate it is, they have
road-tested it on the on a well known sample of Kiwis: the
Dunedin Birth Cohort.
Researchers analysed data from the long-term study of
1,000 New Zealanders to identify whether individuals at high
genetic risk got hooked on cigarettes more quickly as teens
and whether, as adults, they had a harder time
quitting.
The results, published today in JAMA
Psychiatry, showed that a person's genetic risk
profile did not predict whether he or she would try
cigarettes. But for those who did try cigarettes, having a
high-risk genetic profile predicted increased likelihood of
heavy smoking and nicotine dependence.
This link was
most apparent for teenagers; Among teens who tried
cigarettes, those with a high-risk genetic profile were 24
percent more likely to become daily smokers by age 15 and 43
percent more likely to become pack-a-day smokers by age
18.
As adults, those with high-risk genetic profiles
were 22 percent more likely to fail in their attempts at
quitting.
"The effects of genetic risk seem to be
limited to people who start smoking as teens," said author
Daniel Belsky, a post-doctoral research fellow at Duke
University.
"This suggests there may be something
special about nicotine exposure in the adolescent brain,
with respect to these genetic variants."
The authors
noted that their genetic risk profile isn't yet accurate
enough to be used to identify high-risk teens reliably, but
it does highlight the critical adolescent period in
addiction development.
"Public health policies that
make it harder for teens to become regular smokers should
continue to be a focus in antismoking efforts," Belsky
said.
You can read international news coverage
of the study on the Science Media Centre
website.
On the science radar...
The buzz on bees and pesticides, the most exotic meal, the evolution of imaginary animals and who owns your genes?
Pacific bird loss extensive
Over-hunting
and deforestation by Pre-European settlers in the Pacific
led to extensive loss of bird life, according to a new
study.
Now, in a new study published this week in PNAS, scientists used fossil records from 41 Pacific islands to model the number of birds lost over the last 4,000 years.
Their findings show the extinction toll may have been as high as 1300 bird species - about 10% of the current bird species in the world, say the researchers.
Author Prof Richard Duncan, from the University of Canberra (previously at Lincoln University, NZ), told Science magazine that while hunting would have lead to many of the extinctions, burning of forests would also have played a major role.
"You can imagine, when you don't have chainsaws and things, the easiest way to clear forest is to set it on fire," he said.
The authors note that New Zealand got off lightly as it is a large, mountainous and wet island, suffered less deforestation, and had more places for birds to hide from hunters.
You can read a round up of international media coverage on the Science Media Centre website.
Quoted: The Vote,
TV3
"If you are still eating poorly after this change then you are offsetting the health costs that you will be generating in the future when the diabetes zombie apocalypse hits, okay?"
-
Economist Geoff Simmons of the Morgan Foundation on a tax on unhealthy
food.
New from the
SMC
GM Regulation: Experts comment on a new paper calling for tighter risk assessments of a particular genetic modification.
Pacific bird loss:
Human settlement of the Pacific resulted in an
immense loss of native bird species. Read coverage of new
research.
Flu warning:
Sciblogs highlights
Some of the highlights from this week's posts:
Chocolate! and just in time for
Easter - Does chocolate lower your stroke risk?
Alison Campbell casts a critical eye over the reported
benefits of the sweet
stuff.
BioBlog
Using the 'bigfoot genome' for 21st century
biology - Aimee Whitcroft highlights a neat new
'citizen science' class on unlocking the secrets of genomes
- real or not-so-real.
Misc.ience
Visualising plastic pollution in the world's
oceans - Guest Blogger Timo Franz (from data,
design and development outfit Dumpark) highlights a new
visualisation of the 'great Pacific garbage
patch'.
GuestWork
Research
highlights
Please note: hyperlinks point, where possible, to the relevant abstract or paper.
Predator-free fish
streams: Trout threaten the survival of NZ native
fish, both by direct predation and competition for
resources. A new study confirms the negative impact of
introduced brown and rainbow trout species on native
galaxiid fish. The authors suggest taking advantage of
galaxiids' unique climbing abilities - the fish can crawl
upwards along steep rock chutes - to create barriers that
are impassable to trout.
'Smoking genes'
predict risk: New Zealand researchers, in
collaboration with US and UK colleagues, have developed a
'genetic risk score' and road-tested it on the Dunedin Birth
Cohort to see if it can predict who initiates smoking and to
what extent. The authors noted the effects of genetic risk
seem to be limited to people who start smoking as teens. For
instance, among teens who tried cigarettes, those with a
high-risk genetic profile were 43 percent more likely to
become pack-a-day smokers by age 18.
Obesity breathalyser: The content of a person's breath may indicate how susceptible they are to weight gain, according to a recent study. People whose breath has high concentrations of both hydrogen and methane gases are more likely to have a higher body mass index and percentage of body fat, according to the findings. The combination of the two gases signals the presence of a microorganism that may contribute to obesity, say the authors.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Electrifying waggle dance: New research suggests that there is more to the honeybee's waggle dance than meets the eye. During the dance, which directs fellow bees to sources of nectar, the dancing bee emits static and modulated electric fields which, according to the new research, bees can detect and be trained to respond to. The authors conclude that these electric fields are an important and overlooked component in honey bee dance communication.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Policy
updates
Some of the policy highlights from this week:
R&D spending up: Statistics New Zealand data released today that shows businesses in New Zealand spent $1.2 billion on research and development in 2012 - an increase of almost 25 per cent since 2010.
Upcoming sci-tech events
• Mad on radium: New Zealand in the atomic age - Cafe Scientifique with Rebecca Priestley - 28 March, lower Hutt.
• Human evolution - we are family - A chalkle meetup with Michael Harvey - 2 April , Wellington.
• Cryptogenomics - using the "bigfoot genome" for 21st century biology - A chalkle meetup with David Winter - 2 April , Wellington.
• What is the value of science in NZ? - NZAS conference - 3 April, Wellington.
• Open data - letting it loose on the crowd - BIG DATA discussion panel with Kim Hill - 3 April, Wellington.
• What if... What you eat controlled your children's genes? - "What if Wednesday" lecture from Prof Ian Shaw - 3 April, Christchurch.
• The Ecological View of Cats - Public talk from John Flux - 4 April, Wellington.
For these and more upcoming events, and more details about them, visit the SMC's Events Calendar.
ENDS
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
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