Unintended Consequences

I can never read articles like this one without the words "unintended consequences" flashing over and over in my brain. The science of using genetically modified or alien species to achieve some human goal is one that has an extraordinarily spotty record. It's great in theory, and the biggest successes have obviously been with genetically modified plants and food animals, which exist and propagate under fairly controlled conditions. However, when we've introduced plant and animal species into the wild to solve some human "problem" we've often found the newly introduced invasive species to cause more problems than they solve.

Insects and microbes are a particularly touchy case, because once they're out in the wild, they could prove impossible to eradicate and to prevent from spreading to unwanted areas. A bug that could "swim in a pond and soak up sunlight and urinate automotive fuel" is a bug that could pollute vast bodies of open water, one might think.

The technology is fascinating, and has many possibilities, but it's frustrating to read an eight-page article that never does due diligence and goes beyond "Rah, Rah! Isn't this cool?" to ask hard questions about safety and responsibility.