Saturday, May 21, 2016 is the date set for the annual March Against Monsanto protests that take place in cities around the world. If you’re not familiar with the protest, it is an annual protest of the biotech company Monsanto and biotechnology generally. Around the world, people will gather at pre-determined locations to cause a spectacle that’s worthy of media attention. The goal each year is to raise awareness about the allegedly corrupt practices of Monsanto and the so-called dangers of GMOs.
As part of this year’s protest, one of the shirts or slogans that you will probably see reads: “I am not Round-Up Ready.” The funny thing is, humans actually are Round-Up Ready, because we don’t process certain amino acids the same way as plants do. While I wouldn’t recommend dousing yourself in any herbicide, I do think you should actually know what it means that a genetically modified crop is herbicide resistant before you protest it.
To learn more about the processes by which Round-Up works, and why that shouldn’t scare you, check out this article explaining it from Science 2.0.
