Gene editing could create spicy tomatoes, say researchers
Spicy tomatoes could soon be on the menu thanks to the rise of genome-editing technology, say researchers. It is not the first time experts have claimed the techniques could help to precisely and rapidly develop fruits and vegetables with unusual traits: scientists have already been looking at changing the colour of kiwi fruits and tweaking the taste of strawberries.
But researchers in Brazil and Ireland say such methods also could offer practical advantages, with spicy tomatoes offering a way of harvesting capsaicinoids, the pungent chemicals found in chilli peppers.
[...] Tomatoes and chilli peppers developed from a common ancestor but diverged about 19m years ago. "All the genes to produce capsaicinoids exist in the tomato, they are just not active," Zsögön said.
Capsaicinoids: Pungency beyond Capsicum (open, DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.11.001) (DX)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PinkyGigglebrain on Tuesday January 08 2019, @07:13PM
While I often agree with that mindset when it come to screwing around with genetics statements like that scare the Hells out of me. I know of too many cases where a genetically engineered life form almost caused a possible environmental catastrophe to feel comfortable with casually screwing around with the genes of living things.
I'm all for continuing the research in the lab, but this kind of "hey lets fuck with inherited characteristics and let it loose for fun and profit" attitude just rubs me the wrong way.
Just my $.02
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."