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Texas A&M genetically modifies cotton to make it edible
Houston Chronicle ^ | November 20, 2006 | Randolph E. Schmid

Posted on 11/20/2006 12:35:22 PM PST by Zakeet

WASHINGTON — Cotton, for thousands of years one of the most important crops for clothing and shelter, might also become a source of food.

A chemical called gossypol makes cottonseed inedible for humans, though some of it is used in feed for cattle, which are less affected by the toxin.

Now, researchers at Texas A&M University have genetically modified cotton to produce seeds with little or no gossypol.

It's a step they say could help provide valuable protein to millions of people. Their findings are reported in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Keerti Rathore of the university's Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, said the modified plants continue to have gossypol in their stems and leaves where it helps resist insects, but the chemical is significantly reduced in the seed.

Worldwide, 44 million tons of cottonseed is produced annually. It is grown in 80 countries and the seeds are 23 percent protein, Rathore said.

They are pressed for oil, and in the United States about half of the remaining meal goes into animal feed, he explained.

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: aggie; cotton; eat
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To: Brilliant
You can eat cotton already. You just can't digest it.

The article talks about eating cotton seed, not cotton lint.

21 posted on 11/20/2006 12:41:58 PM PST by FreedomCalls (It's the "Statue of Liberty," not the "Statue of Security.")
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To: goldstategop

Word Hunger is conqured from a production standpoint. We produce more then enough food to feed everyone. It's a distribution problem. I don't see how edible cotton will fix that.


22 posted on 11/20/2006 12:42:05 PM PST by zbigreddogz
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To: Zakeet

Having to eat one's shirt after losing a bet will become easier.


23 posted on 11/20/2006 12:42:14 PM PST by pabianice
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To: Zakeet

This reminded me of Milo's chocolate covered cotton from the book Catch-22.


24 posted on 11/20/2006 12:42:48 PM PST by somniferum (Annoy a liberal.. Work hard and be happy.)
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To: goldstategop
Cotton is cheap and plentiful.

IIRC, cotton strips the soil of nutrients and needs lots of ferticlizer for other crops after it. So while you are growing food, you are killing the growth value for crops.

25 posted on 11/20/2006 12:42:59 PM PST by llevrok (You can't plant the seed of freedom by pulling out early !)
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To: zbigreddogz

There you go!!


26 posted on 11/20/2006 12:44:44 PM PST by Roses0508 (Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions - it only guarantees equality of opportunity.)
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To: Zakeet
How's the cure for cancer coming??? Is there a bigger demand for edible cotton??? Granted, I was a communications major, so I'm not really "up to speed" with all this "science stuff ", but I really thought finding a cure for cancer would be a good place to spend time and money.
27 posted on 11/20/2006 12:47:10 PM PST by txroadkill
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To: Zakeet
We could finally conquer world hunger.

I was thinking more in terms of new and improved edible panties.

28 posted on 11/20/2006 12:48:06 PM PST by 12B
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To: Liberty Tree Surgeon
Millions? Can you site a source?

Implied several places through the type of research, amount of work, number of researchers, their level of involvement, and length of time required to produce the new veggie. One Aggie source can be found here.

29 posted on 11/20/2006 12:48:27 PM PST by Zakeet (Be thankful we don't get all the government we pay for)
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To: TomGuy

Real Americans go to A&M.

30 posted on 11/20/2006 12:49:48 PM PST by fishtank
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To: Zakeet

The question is, WHY?


31 posted on 11/20/2006 12:50:09 PM PST by RockinRight (There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.)
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To: Zakeet
Some folks already eat cotton.

Will Farrell as 'Buddy' in movie Elf

32 posted on 11/20/2006 12:50:50 PM PST by TChris (We scoff at honor and are shocked to find traitors among us. - C.S. Lewis)
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To: llevrok

That's why the peanut was invented.


33 posted on 11/20/2006 12:54:21 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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To: WOSG
Aggies doing science? I'll eat my shorts!

Feel free to eat mine. Gig 'em!

34 posted on 11/20/2006 12:58:17 PM PST by Gulf War One
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To: Gulf War One

http://www.f22major.com/Photos/Military/Air%20Force/Fighters/F-16%20Viper/F-16%20Viper/Kyle%20Field.html

Kyle Field Photos

On November 26, 1999, the Texas A&M Aggies and the University of Texas Longhorns squared away in their annual post-Thanksgiving Day game. However, this game was different. It was 8 days after the tragic Bonfire collapse which killed 12 students and injured 27 others. As a tribute to these students, four former Aggies from the 457 Fighter Squadron, the "Spads" based in Forth Worth, Texas, made a flyby of Texas A&M's Kyle Field, where the game was being held, in the "missing man" formation. This is an old tradition of the air forces that is held as a memorial to fallen comrades. A four-ship formation will fly over the spot where people are gathered to remember their friends and comrades-in-arms, and just as they are the over the observers, the #3 man in the formation will pull up suddenly and the other 3 aircraft will continue on their course. This creates a hole or "missing man" in the formation, honoring the fallen. These photos, viewed from the #3 aircraft as he is pulling up, capture the entire field and audience, and make a vivid demonstration of the feelings of the Aggies after this terrible incident.


35 posted on 11/20/2006 12:59:16 PM PST by fishtank
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To: Zakeet

Let them eat cotton.


36 posted on 11/20/2006 1:00:42 PM PST by doug from upland (Stopping Hillary should be a FreeRepublic Manhattan Project)
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To: Zakeet

Yea but can you chicken fry it?


37 posted on 11/20/2006 1:01:16 PM PST by txroadhawg ("To compare Congress to drunken sailors is an insult to drunken sailors." Ronald Reagan)
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To: fishtank

BTHOtu


38 posted on 11/20/2006 1:02:42 PM PST by Gulf War One
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To: Zakeet
OH MY GAWD!!!!

Milo Minderbender was right...... we're all members of the corporation and now we're rich!!!

I'm going to go tell Yosarrian, Arfy and Major Major.....

39 posted on 11/20/2006 1:05:07 PM PST by Dick Vomer (liberals suck......... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.)
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To: somniferum

ya beat me..... ya bastid...hahahahahaha.... I'm off to Egypt to get our share of the profits.


40 posted on 11/20/2006 1:06:24 PM PST by Dick Vomer (liberals suck......... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.)
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