Is Monsanto Evil?

"Rats fed a lifetime diet of Monsanto's genetically modified corn or exposed to its top-selling weedkiller Roundup suffered tumours and multiple organ damage, according to a French study published on Wednesday. Although the lead researcher's past record as a critic of the industry may make other experts wary of drawing hasty conclusions, the finding will stoke controversy about the safety of GM crops. In an unusual move, the research group did not allow reporters to seek outside comment on their paper before its publication in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and presentation at a news conference in London...".* Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur break it down on The Young Turks.

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[axe]

The extremely bias study has been pummeled into the ground by the entirety of the scientific community.  

[curtisyue]

I've heard my dad refer to Monsanto as evil before, but I'd never thought it would be as bad as it is.

[DarDarBinks]

Yeah, the Séralini corn study was debunked. Nobody can replicate the results. Séralini used Sprague-Dawley rats, which are deliberately BRED to grow tumors no matter what you feed them. He used too few rats, only one control group, among other errors From the European Food Safety Authority:

"EFSA noted in its first Statement (sic) that Séralini et al. did not follow the internationally accepted protocols for sub-chronic, chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity studies; furthermore, the strain of rats chosen is known to be prone to development of tumors over their life. The study design includes only one control group which is not suitable to serve as control for all the treatment groups. Further, it was noted that for carcinogenicity testing 10 rats per treatment group per sex is not sufficient. Apparently, no measures were taken to reduce the risk of bias such as blinding."

[ItsOneInAMillion]

The study has been retracted from the journal it was published in. The study has been debunked time and time again, along with all the claims in this video.

[Karsteski]

TYT, I love you, but you guys really need a science correspondent (Cara!). GM plants cannot be generalized. They have to be taken on a case by case basis. Saying that "GM foods are good, or GM foods are bad, will always be wrong because different plants will have different changes when they are modified.

[DescartesRenegade]

This episode is an utter disappointment to the science community. The half-ass research that TYT did here was an embarrassment. If youre skeptical about Monsanto, then look at the independent scientific studies. There is a consensus among Scientists that GMOs ARE SAFE. I can't understand how you guys at TYT believe the science behind climate change but not GMOs...

The intellect of TYT isn't high enough to accurately report on GMOs. Please take this video down unless you plan on losing your science literate fanbase.

[opteryx]

Update your video, that rat study was debunked and retracted. Not only that, the company that conducted the tests treated the rats extremely inhumanely as you can see by the photos.

[Medicinnovr]

no, no, you're spelling it wrong, it's like, monSATANo.

[TJ-bkvf]

I hate when people that are clueless about agriculture think they can cover this subject with any credibility. If your under the impression that Monsanto completely controls farmers and prices your an idiot. I'm not saying there are a bunch of large companies that supply farmers with their seed. The market is basically dominated by 4 companies. If Monsanto really raised it's prices to irrational levels farmers would just buy from the other companies. A good bag of corn to plant will cost anywhere from $300 to $400 dollars and as a farmer I can say it's worth every fucking penny. Did you ever think that maybe farmers would quit buying their seed if they were charging to much? I hate industry dominating billion dollar companies as much as the next guy but my god they have revolutionized farming. The common person just wouldn't understand.

[brtle]

For what it's worth, I'd point out that probably EVERY single bit of corn, strawberry, banana, watermelon and apple (to name a few) that you've EVER ingested has been a GMO. Unmodified corn "cobs" are less than 2" long and the kernels are smaller than a shelled sunflower-seed... Mankind began genetically modifying all of these foods decades, if not centuries ago,   but NOBODY was complaining about GMO until the past few years... Please stop using the pejorative term: it's inaccurate and serves only to unreasonably inflame fear and prejudice, something which I believe your channel has justifiably disclaimed as a tactic when used by religious groups and Republicans/Conservatives for their own political purposes...

[pardismack]

I loved the TYT until I found this antiscience video

[gunniesack]

Monsanto came about in the 1960s. their product was called Agent Orange. They are in charge of food now?

[TheStigma]

1. I did.

2. Yes you can say and believe anything you want (and please note that I never said you couldn't), but when you present your ideas on an open forum like this then it certainly helps a great deal if the ideas you present are well considered beforehand. If you wanted to be more constructive you might for example think through what alternatives there are and the consequences of them - and perhaps even suggest one if you see a better way.

[olace]

Regardless of whether the rat study was fraudulent, what Monsanto did to those farmers was Despicable!

[Digital]

My professor at college gave us a whole lecture about Monsanto and how they operate, it was one of the most interesting lectures, I ever had.

[kmeccat]

Between 1997 and 2010, Monsanto sued hundreds of farmers for infringing on their patented seed after audits using so-called "seed police", revealed that the organic farms had contained Monsanto's product's gene — as a result of routine pollination by animals and acts of nature. Unable to afford a proper defense, competing small farms have been bought out by the company in droves. As a result, Monsanto saw their profits increase by the hundreds of millions over the last few years as a result.

[gilbet]

In either case- cattle or rats, it's a study of the results of your sample, just to see what the difference is between them and the control group. For example, a bull's 200 daughters might be 10% taller than the average cow. But when the sample rises to 2000 daughters, the daughters might turn out to be only 1% taller. As the bull's offspring rises to 5, 000 and 10, 000, the results will still hover around the same figure: 1% taller than average.

[TheJohnnyzombie]

GMOs reduce the environmental impact of food production and industrial processes: Genetically engineered resistance to pests and diseases reduce the chemicals needed for crop protection, and it is already happening. Farmers are growing maize, cotton and potatoes that no longer have to be sprayed with the bacterial insecticide because they produce its insecticidal agent themselves. These developments not only reduce environmental impact-they also improve the health of farm and industrial workers

[resistnzisfutl]

The rats lived to their expected lifespan of 2 years. You are correct in that the rats selected were known to be particularly prone to tumors, especially in old age. This confounding factor, of course, was not controlled for nor explained by the study authors. One of a long list of problems with the study.

[cincofone]

Pollution can be solved by a class action lawsuit by those affected by the pollution - it is a property crime, the corporation is damaging the property of others (the groundwater). That lawsuit can force the corporation to repair environmental damages or go out of business. As the cost of cleaning that mess up + legal fees is going to be much higher than disposing of pollutants safely in the first place, corporations are incentivised to not pollute, and if they do they can be dealt with.