American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson (pictured) has defended GMOs, saying that people should 'chill out' Supporters of genetically modified food claim they it help feed the world and eradicate disease, while their opponents believe they could contaminate natural food and even harm people. Now, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who presents the TV documentary Cosmos, has defended controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs), saying that people should just ‘chill out’. He claims that practically every type for food for sale is genetically modified in some way already and that there are few ‘wild’ crops and animals left. The scientist, who has already spoken out against critics of evolution and climate change, gaves his opinion in a video first spotted. He can be seen answering a question about his views on GM food, to which he replied: ‘I'm amazed at just how much objection genetically modified foods are receiving.

Jul 31, 2014. 'Chill out about GM food': We've been modifying crops for thousands of years, claims scientist. The American. Some people question the wisdom of tampering with nature, but a number of prominent scientists believe that GM crops are the key to feeding the world's rapidly expanding population.

'It smacks of the fear factor that exists at every new emergent science, where people don't fully understand it or don't fully know or embrace its consequences and are therefore rejecting it. ‘What most people don't know, but should, is that practically every food you buy in a store for consumption by humans is genetically modified food. ‘There are no wild seedless watermelons; there's no wild cowsYou list all the fruit, and all the vegetables, and ask yourself: “Is there a wild counterpart to this?” If there is, it's not as large, it's not as sweet, it's not as juicy, and it has way more seeds in it. Dr Tyson said: 'We have systematically genetically modified all the foods, the vegetables and animals that we have eaten ever since we cultivated them.' He explained that it is the process of articicuial selection and the ability to modify food in labs (a rice crop in conical flasks are pictured) is an extension of that ‘We have systematically genetically modified all the foods, the vegetables and animals that we have eaten ever since we cultivated them. It's called artificial selection. That's how we genetically modify them.

So now that we can do it in a lab, all of a sudden you're going to complain?’. While government organisations and other top scientists may have stopped short of telling protestors to ‘chill out,’ many institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences and the European Commission say that GM food is not unsafe. Some people question the wisdom of tampering with nature, but a number of prominent scientists believe that GM crops are the key to feeding the world's rapidly expanding population.

By manipulating the genes in wheat and potatoes, experts have managed to make them resistant to fungal infections, which leads to food shortages. 'Super bananas' laced with vitamin A could be on sale in 2020 in a bid to tackle deficiency in Africa, while scientists believe that GM mosquitoes could be the secret to wiping out dengue fever. The world's first human trial of 'super bananas' will start soon in the hope of providing a more nutritious source of food to Ugandans and East Africans.

The bananas will be enriched in pro-vitamin A, which the human body can break down into 'regular' vitamin A, to tackle the consequences of vitamin A deficiency in the regions. And, if the trial is successful, it's hoped farmers could begin growing the enhanced food by 2020.

It is what is known as a biofortification project, which is the process of improving the nutritional value of crops by selective, or genetic engineering. While the outside of the 'super bananas' will look just like any other banana, the inside will be different.

'The banana flesh of a pro-vitamin A enriched banana is orange rather than the cream colour we are used to and in fact the greater the pro-vitamin A content the more orange the banana flesh becomes,' lead researcher Professor Dale said. Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke Full Movie Avi. 'We are aiming to increase the level of pro-vitamin A to a minimum level of 20 micrograms per gram dry weight in order to significantly improve the health status of African banana consumers.'