Bugs Becoming Resistant to Corn Toxin
An example of natural selection, but is it evolution?
Summary: Bt corn, one of the nation’s most widely grown crops, is a
genetically engineered plant that makes its own insecticide. Introduced
in 2003, Bt corn allows growers to produce large crops while using fewer
chemicals because the corn naturally produces a toxin (considered
harmless to humans and livestock) which poisons the western corn
rootworm that threatens it . Created by the Monsanto Co. by splicing a
gene from a soil organism called Bacillus thuringiensis into the plant,
the hybrid and similar varieties account for 65% of all U. S. corn acres
and end up in thousands of everyday foods such as cereal, sweeteners
and cooking oil.
But over the last few summers, rootworms have been seen increasingly
feasting on the roots of Bt corn in parts of four states — Iowa, Illinois,
Minnesota and Nebraska. Apparently, rootworms in some Bt cornfields
have “evolved” a resistance to the corn’s formidable defenses. Although
the problem seems to have eased in Minnesota in recent years, it is
hard to detect because winds or wet soil have to topple the corn plants
for the damage to be observed. According to U. of Minnesota
entomologist Kenneth Ostlie, we may be seeing only the tip of the
iceberg.
Scientists say farmers who do not rotate Bt corn with other crops could
be partly to blame. High corn prices may be the reason they don‘t do
this. However, farmers could help by rotating their crops and also by
planting non-BT corn within or next to BT cornfields. That could entice
non-resistant rootworms to mate with resistant rootworms which would
dilute their genes. Another possible help might be to switch between Bt
corn varieties that produce different toxins or multiple toxins. Damaged
fields might also be treated with insecticides to kill the resistant
rootworms.
Seed companies are supposed to cut off farmers who violate
Environmental Protection Agency planting rules which require growers
to devote 20% of their fields to non-Bt corn. Many farmers apparently
ignore that rule. And Monsanto was recently criticized by EPA for not
doing enough to monitor the resistance problem among rootworm
populations. For their part, Monsanto denies there is conclusive proof
the rootworms really are immune to the toxin, but it says it does take the
situation seriously.
At present, the U.S. food supply is not in any immediate danger due to
the fact the rootworm problem is so isolated. Scientists are concerned
though because, while they fully expected the rootworms to eventually
develop a resistance to the Bt corn toxin, the signs of possible
resistance have emerged sooner than they imagined.
To read the entire article, click on YAHOO NEWS.
Comment: This story appears to be another case of natural selection,
but, despite the word “evolved” that popped up in the story, it is not an
example of Darwinian (amoeba-to-man) evolution. From time to time
we would do well to remind ourselves of the difference between natural
selection and evolution. Evolutionists still confuse the issue by
suggesting evidence for the former is also evidence for the latter.
Natural selection is sometimes also called “survival of the fittest.” If the
resistant rootworms do have a genetic trait that protects them from the
corn’s toxin, they are indeed better fit and able to survive in the Bt
cornfields than rootworms lacking that trait. Thus, natural selection would
in this case lead to more of the toxin-resistant rootworms.
For Darwinian evolution to have happened to these rootworms though,
some new genetic information would have had to have been introduced
into their genomes. There is no evidence that this happened. The
genetic information already present in some of the rootworms was what
led to their ability to better resist the toxin. Scientists know of no way new
genetic information can naturally enter the genome of any creature. The
resistant rootworms and the non-resistant rootworms are all still
rootworms. No new type of creature has evolved.
The famous peppered-moth experiment of biologist Bernard Kettlewell
also illustrates the difference between natural selection and Darwinian
evolution. Kettlewell’s tests showed that dark-colored moths survived
much better on tree trunks darkened by soot from factories than did
light-colored moths because predator birds could not spot them as
easily. The same was true of light-colored moths surviving better on
light-colored tree trunks. Some lecturers still point to this example as
evidence for evolution, but it is not, because it is freely admitted that
both light-colored and dark-colored moths existed before factories with
their smoky chimneys were built. Therefore, nothing new had evolved.
We can take comfort in the fact that natural selection is not involved
when it comes to selecting those people who are being saved for eternal
life. If nature did the selecting, we would all be selected out of the
picture, because by nature we are all guilty of sin (Romans 3:23).
Thankfully, God will on the last day do the selecting, and every person
who has repented of his sins and come to faith in Jesus Christ will have
those sins washed away and be selected for eternity in heaven
(1 Corinthians 6:11).
.
An example of natural selection, but is it evolution?
Summary: Bt corn, one of the nation’s most widely grown crops, is a
genetically engineered plant that makes its own insecticide. Introduced
in 2003, Bt corn allows growers to produce large crops while using fewer
chemicals because the corn naturally produces a toxin (considered
harmless to humans and livestock) which poisons the western corn
rootworm that threatens it . Created by the Monsanto Co. by splicing a
gene from a soil organism called Bacillus thuringiensis into the plant,
the hybrid and similar varieties account for 65% of all U. S. corn acres
and end up in thousands of everyday foods such as cereal, sweeteners
and cooking oil.
But over the last few summers, rootworms have been seen increasingly
feasting on the roots of Bt corn in parts of four states — Iowa, Illinois,
Minnesota and Nebraska. Apparently, rootworms in some Bt cornfields
have “evolved” a resistance to the corn’s formidable defenses. Although
the problem seems to have eased in Minnesota in recent years, it is
hard to detect because winds or wet soil have to topple the corn plants
for the damage to be observed. According to U. of Minnesota
entomologist Kenneth Ostlie, we may be seeing only the tip of the
iceberg.
Scientists say farmers who do not rotate Bt corn with other crops could
be partly to blame. High corn prices may be the reason they don‘t do
this. However, farmers could help by rotating their crops and also by
planting non-BT corn within or next to BT cornfields. That could entice
non-resistant rootworms to mate with resistant rootworms which would
dilute their genes. Another possible help might be to switch between Bt
corn varieties that produce different toxins or multiple toxins. Damaged
fields might also be treated with insecticides to kill the resistant
rootworms.
Seed companies are supposed to cut off farmers who violate
Environmental Protection Agency planting rules which require growers
to devote 20% of their fields to non-Bt corn. Many farmers apparently
ignore that rule. And Monsanto was recently criticized by EPA for not
doing enough to monitor the resistance problem among rootworm
populations. For their part, Monsanto denies there is conclusive proof
the rootworms really are immune to the toxin, but it says it does take the
situation seriously.
At present, the U.S. food supply is not in any immediate danger due to
the fact the rootworm problem is so isolated. Scientists are concerned
though because, while they fully expected the rootworms to eventually
develop a resistance to the Bt corn toxin, the signs of possible
resistance have emerged sooner than they imagined.
To read the entire article, click on YAHOO NEWS.
Comment: This story appears to be another case of natural selection,
but, despite the word “evolved” that popped up in the story, it is not an
example of Darwinian (amoeba-to-man) evolution. From time to time
we would do well to remind ourselves of the difference between natural
selection and evolution. Evolutionists still confuse the issue by
suggesting evidence for the former is also evidence for the latter.
Natural selection is sometimes also called “survival of the fittest.” If the
resistant rootworms do have a genetic trait that protects them from the
corn’s toxin, they are indeed better fit and able to survive in the Bt
cornfields than rootworms lacking that trait. Thus, natural selection would
in this case lead to more of the toxin-resistant rootworms.
For Darwinian evolution to have happened to these rootworms though,
some new genetic information would have had to have been introduced
into their genomes. There is no evidence that this happened. The
genetic information already present in some of the rootworms was what
led to their ability to better resist the toxin. Scientists know of no way new
genetic information can naturally enter the genome of any creature. The
resistant rootworms and the non-resistant rootworms are all still
rootworms. No new type of creature has evolved.
The famous peppered-moth experiment of biologist Bernard Kettlewell
also illustrates the difference between natural selection and Darwinian
evolution. Kettlewell’s tests showed that dark-colored moths survived
much better on tree trunks darkened by soot from factories than did
light-colored moths because predator birds could not spot them as
easily. The same was true of light-colored moths surviving better on
light-colored tree trunks. Some lecturers still point to this example as
evidence for evolution, but it is not, because it is freely admitted that
both light-colored and dark-colored moths existed before factories with
their smoky chimneys were built. Therefore, nothing new had evolved.
We can take comfort in the fact that natural selection is not involved
when it comes to selecting those people who are being saved for eternal
life. If nature did the selecting, we would all be selected out of the
picture, because by nature we are all guilty of sin (Romans 3:23).
Thankfully, God will on the last day do the selecting, and every person
who has repented of his sins and come to faith in Jesus Christ will have
those sins washed away and be selected for eternity in heaven
(1 Corinthians 6:11).
.
LSI Blog - Monday, Jan. 2, 2012
