Re: Re: Re: Cuban Genetic Engineering (was Jesse Lemisch)

["Ian Murray" <seamus2001@xxxxxxxx>]

> At 10:27 PM 06/27/2001 -0400, you wrote:
> >>But mechanization would be difficult.
> >
> >Right, given the fragility of strawberries
>
> you underestimate the power of bioscience: I can easily imagine
> genetically-altered strawberries the size of basket balls with a
thick
> skin, so that they can be harvested with machines. Consider how
different
> commercial strawberries are already -- compared to wild
strawberries. The
> latter are smaller than small marbles and have much more intense
taste.
>
> Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxx & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~JDevine
"Science is
> a way of trying not to fool yourself." -- Richard Feynman.
===========

[who said it?]

"One of the benefits of the genetic engineering revolution will be to
allow us to make great areas of the globe economically productive
without destroying their natural ecology. Instead of destroying
tropical forests to make room for agriculture, we could leave forests
in place while teaching the trees to synthesize a variety of useful
chemicals. Huge areas of arid land could be made fruitful either for
agriculture or for biochemical industry. There are no laws of physics
and chemistry which say that potatoes cannot grow on trees or that
diamonds cannot grow in a desert...Ultimately even water may be
unnecessary, since the driest desert air contains enough water vapor
to sustain a biological community if the community is careful not to
waste it."