Reuters: Scientists create gene-edited animals … to boost food production; COGwriter: Risk of famine and pestilences being boosted
Reuters reported the following:
Scientists create gene-edited animals as ‘surrogate sires’ to boost food production
Scientists have created gene-edited pigs, goats and cattle to produce sperm with traits such as disease resistance and higher meat quality in what they say is a step towards genetically enhancing livestock to improve food production.
The animals, created for the first time by researchers in the United States and Britain using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, could be used as “surrogate sires”, essentially sterile blank slates that could then be transplanted with stem cells that produce the desired sperm, the scientists said. The process could help farmers rear healthier, more productive animals using fewer resources such as feed, medicines and water, they said. It could also give breeders in remote regions of the world better access to genetic material of elite animals from elsewhere, allowing for “precision breeding”.
“With this technology, we can get better dissemination of desirable traits and improve the efficiency of food production,” said Jon Oatley, a reproductive biologist at Washington State University in the United States, who co-led the work.
He said this could have a major impact on addressing food insecurity around the world. “If we can tackle this genetically, then that means less water, less feed and fewer antibiotics we have to put into the animals.”
Yet gene-editing has long been a contentious subject, and the latest advance could face resistance from critics opposed to the genetic modification of animals, which they regard as dangerous tampering with nature. https://news.trust.org/item/20200914180913-2iwk8
As one holding a Ph.D. in nutrition science, let me add my voice to those who consider this to be dangerous.
Earlier this year, Dr. Joseph Mercola wrote the following:
Promises, promises, promises. The toxic world of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and industrial agriculture is built on false promises. …
Loss of Biodiversity
Right now, more than ever, we need a healthy, biodiverse and functioning ecosystem — one that depends on a rich diversity of plants, animals and insects. https://www.wakingtimes.com/2020/03/05/genetically-engineered-food-the-lie-that-wont-die/
The loss of biodiversity as well as the fact that GMO crops, including animals, are genetically identical makes them susceptible to devastation. The USA, for example, could lose nearly all its corn in a season because of some pathogen or even, perhaps, some insect. Or perhaps in the future, much of its livestock.
Jesus warned about famines and pestilences:
7 … And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8)
The Book of Revelation talks about the ride of four horseman. The ride of the third horseman results in scarcity and famine:
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)
The old Worldwide Church of God put out the following related to that:
The black horseman’s future ride will reduce the proud faces of white America, Europe, and the British Common wealth into the blackened skin of starvation such as now afflicts the vast majority of mankind. (Alexander G. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ambassador College Press, Pasadena (CA), 1973, p. 31)
Related to some GMO risks and biblical prophecies, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
What are GMOs? Does the Bible have anything to say about them? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? What are some of those risks? Which common “foods” are often genetically-modified? Is it good to eat GMOs? Might GMOs lead to famine in America?
This video answers those questions.
Here is a link to the first: GMO Risks and the Bible .
Getting back to Dr. Mercola, his article also had the following:
The Lie That Won’t Die
In spite of all this, the agricultural biotech industry continues to advance with a new suite of genetic engineering technologies known as gene editing, which includes techniques such as CRISPR as well as synthetic biology and gene drives.
What makes these GMO 2.0 technologies different is they can create genetically engineered organisms more cheaply and more quickly than ever before.
As far as, “The Lie That Won’t Die,” search engines like Google have been accused of making anti-GMO information harder to find (the process is known as “shadow banning”). Then you have the mainstream media, nearly all national US political leaders, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, most of mainstream medicine, most of academia, as well as mainstream agriculture pushing the lie that this type of genetic editing is good for humanity.
But their track record with genetic-editing has shown that they can think they know more than they do. There is a risk of famine and increased pestilence problems.
There simply have not been sufficient studies to prove proper safety and health impacts, nor is it practical to do them for the many GMOs scientists have produced. In order to do this, millions of people would need to be involved. And the time period would need to be enough to cover 3-5 generations–it would probably need to take between 200-400 years to be able to have the data to come to a proper scientific conclusion about that. And, of course, that has not happened. Nor will that happen.
Consider also the following about studies on regular food:
November 4, 2019
A major reason why the nutrition science field is in turmoil is because the science itself is so complicated. Researchers can’t feasibly lock up people for decades and meticulously track their diets. Even if they could, people eat so many different foods in different combinations that isolating the impact of one variable is incredibly difficult. https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2019/11/04/why-we-dont-know-what-to-eat-060299?utm_source=pocket-newtab
If sufficient studies cannot be done on regular foods, how can any claim that GMOs have been sufficiently tested?
Well, the reality is that GMOs have not been.
Consider that the Bible warns:
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
A while back, scientists pointed out at least one risk associated with gene-editing of humans:
New Study Shows Those First-Ever CRISPR Babies Could Be at Risk of Early Death
June 4, 2019
Chinese scientist He Jiankui first brought gene-edited babies into the world …He’s team gene-edited the twin babies – and a third baby due this summer – to knock out a gene called CCR5 in hopes that it would render them immune to HIV.
But according to new research published in the journal Nature Medicine, people with that genome are 21 percent more likely to die before reaching the average life expectancy. …
“What we found is that they had significantly increased mortality,” lead researcher Rasmus Nielsen told NPR. “It’s rather substantial. We were quite surprised the effect was this large.” …
“This is a lesson in humility,” George Daley, dean of Harvard Medical School, told NPR.
“Even when we think we know something about a gene, we can always be surprised and even startled, like in this case, to find out that a gene we thought was protective may actually be a problem.” https://www.sciencealert.com/sadly-the-chinese-crispr-babies-may-be-doomed-to-die-young
While it should be mentioned that CRISPR technology is being used to research what to do about COVID-19, it is also possible that genetic research was a factor in developing this new strain of the coronavirus.
Related to that, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video for our Bible News Prophecy program:
Biological Warfare and Prophecy
Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.
Here is a link to our video: Biological Warfare and Prophecy.
Dr. Mercola’s article also had the following:
Fronting up to critics and the farmers who are abandoning the GMO lie, proponents of synthetic biology claim we no longer need farmers to produce food. By creating novel food products, including meat substitutes, from genetically engineered microbes in big vats in anonymous warehouses, we can improve the efficiency and sustainability of food production.
For anyone who believes that food should come from a living and connected ecosystem this is the grimmest of grim promises — a world without farmers and without farm animals, where the land is used for … what, exactly?
This grim vision of food production has been given the nickname, the “dark food chain,” because it doesn’t need sunlight.
Sunlight has been needed by nearly all human foods throughout history. Humans seem to think they have a better way.
Regarding GMOs and lab grown “meat,” the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) have been in the US food supply for over 20 years. Are they safe? Which ten GMO plants are now widely commercially available? What about laboratory-grown ‘meat’? Hydrogenated trans-fatty acid products have been consumed for over 100 years. Are they safe? Certain scientists claim that the data proves the safety of GMOs and lab-meat. But do they have enough data? Are the proponents of GMOs and lab-meat driven by data or greed? How long is long enough to test these ‘foods’? Can overly processed foods lead to type 2 diabetes or dementia? Are there allergy, gene-transfer, and outcrossing risks with GMOs? What risks does the World Health Organization say that GMOs pose? Do studies involving animals show real dangers with GMOs? On June 11, 2019, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing government oversight over GMO plants and animals. Was this wise or dangerous? Is the food supply at any risk? What did Jesus teach? What does the Bible teach that God’s people should eat?
Here is a link to the video: GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Genetic modification research can involve humans.
Frightening, ‘frankenstein-monsters,’ are being worked on in labs.
We also made a video related to that, including the use of simian species:
13:51
BBC reported about what it called an animal that would be half-human and half-pig. Is such a thing possible? Are chimeras for real? What about a “humanzee”? Are scientists really working on these type of creatures? Is this good? Can something truly be half human and half animal? How are humans different from animals? What is the ‘spirit in man’? What is man? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more with biblical-based responses.
Here is a link to our video: Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
The Bible teaches that God made everything to reproduce after its own kind (Genesis 1).
Of course, those of us who believe the Bible should not be surprised that humans are going the wrong way with aspects of genetic research. Notice that the Bible warned about human knowledge increasing and problems in the end time:
6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:6-7)
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4)
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-6)
How much ‘love’ do scientists have for the inter-spliced, animal-human entities they are sometimes creating? Do they not brutally experiment and then destroy most of what they are currently creating that way?
Lest people think that it is only China involved in such things, consider that the first genetically-modified organism released to the human food supply was a type of tomato in 1994 developed in the USA.
The USA has been in the forefront of risking the food supply by pushing GMOs. Nearly all corn and soy beans (about 90%) in the USA are GMO, and there are many other vegetables that are GMO. Plus, GMO salmon are being produced (see Genetically-modified salmon to come to restaurants first). All of this is a risk to the food supply.
This is going the wrong direction. We need to turn away from such.
The GMO driver is pride and money. The Bible warns:
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)
And that is what is happening in the GMO/CRISPR world to a major degree. Financial and other forms of greed are driving much of this.
THE FACT IS THAT THERE IS NO HUMAN WAY THAT THE PRO-GMO FORCES CAN HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO PROVE WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS NOT DANGEROUS.
The Bible warns:
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:20-22)
This whole GMO and animal editing experiment has had negative consequences and will have more in the future.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras? Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Some related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you? This free online book helps answers some of the biggest questions that human have, including the biblical meaning of life. Here is a link to three related sermons: Mysteries of God’s Plan, Mysteries of Truth, Sin, Rest, Suffering, and God’s Plan, and The Mystery of YOU.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
Is God’s Existence Logical? Is it really logical to believe in God? Yes! Would you like Christian answers to give atheists? This is a free online booklet that deal with improper theories and musings called science related to the origin of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and evolution. Two animated videos of related interest are also available: Big Bang: Nothing or Creator? and A Lifegiver or Spontaneous Evolution?
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Did Early Christians Believe that Humans Possessed Immortality? What does John 3:16, and other writings, tell us? Did a doctrine kept adopted from paganism? Here is a YouTube video titled Are humans immortal?
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
Why Were You Born? Why did God make you? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject. You may also wish to read the article What is Your Destiny? or watch the video, also titled What is Your Destiny?
Building Character: Going on to Perfection Once you have accepted Jesus, do you need to strive for perfection and build character? A related video sermon is available: Going on to perfection and building character.
What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally? If you would like to watch videos covering subjects of this article, you can click on the following links: Why YOU? Why Do YOU Suffer? and What is the meaning of your life?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. Two related sermon are available: Identifying the USA and its Destruction in Prophecy and Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2027 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2020, 2021, or 2022? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter and newer video is: Could the Great Tribulation Begin in 2020?
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