The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| French study on Monsanto’s GM corn raises peer questions Posted: 19 Sep 2012 09:19 AM PDT  Protesters against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) are chained to a vehicle as they block a delivery entrance to a Monsanto seed distribution facility in Oxnard, California, in this September 12, 2012, file photo. — Reuters pic Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen and colleagues said rats fed on a diet containing NK603 — a seed variety made tolerant to dousings of Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller — or given water with Roundup at levels permitted in the United States, died earlier than those on a standard diet. Experts not involved in the study were highly sceptical about its methods and findings, with some accusing the French scientists of going on a "statistical fishing trip". The animals on the GM diet suffered mammary tumours, as well as severe liver and kidney damage. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and presented at a news conference in London. The researchers said 50 per cent of males and 70 per cent of females died prematurely, compared with only 30 per cent and 20 per cent in the control group. Monsanto was not immediately available for comment but the group has in the past repeatedly said its products are safe and there is no credible evidence of any health risk to humans or animals from consuming GM crops. Experts highly sceptical GMOs are deeply unpopular in Europe and many other countries, but dominate key crops in the United States after Monsanto in 1996 introduced a soybean genetically altered to tolerate Monsanto's Roundup weed killer  A protester chained to a vehicle at the Monsanto seed distribution facility in Oxnard. — Reuters file pic Tom Sanders, head of the nutritional sciences research division at King's College London, noted that Seralini's team had not provided any data on how much the rats were given to eat, or what their growth rates were. "This strain of rat is very prone to mammary tumours particularly when food intake is not restricted," he said in an emailed comment. "The statistical methods are unconventional and probabilities are not adjusted for multiple comparisons. There is no clearly defined data analysis plan and it would appear the authors have gone on a statistical fishing trip." Mark Tester, a research professor at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics at the University of Adelaide, said the study's findings raised the question of why no previous studies had flagged similar concerns. "If the effects are as big as purported, and if the work really is relevant to humans, why aren't the North Americans dropping like flies? GM has been in the food chain for over a decade over there — and longevity continues to increase inexorably," he said in an emailed comment. Long-term effects? While supporters of GM crops say previous studies have overwhelmingly pointed to their safety, critics argue there is still limited information about the long-term effects since the crops have only been around for just over 15 years. Seralini was part of a team that has voiced previous safety concerns based on a shorter rat study in a scientific paper published in 2009. This new study takes things a step further by tracking the animals throughout their two-year lifespan. Monsanto said at the time of the earlier research that the French researchers had reached "unsubstantiated conclusions". Seralini believes his latest lifetime rat tests give a more realistic and authoritative view of risks than the 90-day feeding trials that form the basis of GM crop approvals, since three months is only the equivalent of early adulthood in rats. France's Jose Bove, vice-chairman of the European Parliament's commission for agriculture and known as an opponent of GM, called for an immediate suspension of all EU cultivation and import authorisations of GM crops. "This study finally shows we are right and that it is urgent to quickly review all GMO evaluation processes," he said in a statement. "National and European food security agencies must carry out new studies financed by public funding to guarantee healthy food for European consumers." The study is also likely to create friction in the United States, where opponents of genetically engineered foods in California are fighting to have all GMOs removed from the food supply. The California protesters are hoping to drum up support for a California ballot measure that would require food sellers to label a broad range of products, including soup, soy milk, breakfast cereals and chips, that contain GMOs. — Reuters |
| Basquiat poised to set record at New York art auction Posted: 19 Sep 2012 08:58 AM PDT  A Basquiat, "Orange Sports Figure", at a contemporary arts exhibition in Doha, January 25, 2012. — Reuters file pic The untitled 1981 work, which has been in a private collection for two decades and has been featured in virtually every major Basquiat retrospective, depicts a fisherman displaying his catch hanging at the end of a line. Christie's estimate of the painting selling for about US$20 million, along with its commission, would bring the price to well above Basquiat's auction record of US$20.1 million, set in June in London. "Great works by Basquiat have become close to impossible to find in recent years," said Loic Gouzer, international specialist of post-war and contemporary art at Christie's, said in a statement. "The market has been waiting a long time for a work of this calibre and freshness. "Basquiat is increasingly being recognised as a grand master of post-war art alongside de Kooning, Warhol and Pollock," Gouzer said. "We expect it to set a new record." The auction house did not identify the seller but catalogues from recent exhibitions of the work identified him as French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier. Basquiat burst onto New York's burgeoning art scene more than 30 years ago and quickly drew attention and respect for his powerful, jarring and sometimes controversial canvases that drew heavily on his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage. Basquiat, whose career was the subject of a feature film and a documentary, died in 1988 at the age of 27. Gouzer said that unlike most artists who win acclaim, Basquiat created his best paintings at the beginning of his career. " 'Untitled 1981' unites all the elements of energy, freedom and boldness that one looks for in Basquiat," he said. The painting will be sold on November 14 following public exhibitions scheduled for London, Paris and New York. — Reuters |
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