Consider this your bit of science education for the week!
Did you know that the Number of people who were electrocuted by power lines correlates with the Marriage rate in Alabama?
Or how about the age of Miss America correlates with murders by steam, hot vapors, and hot objects?
(Check out 40 other crazy correlations here.)
But does that mean that the marriage rate in Alabama is somehow related to the number of people who are electrocuted by power lines? Or that the age of Miss American somehow causes murders by steam, hot vapors, and hot objects?
Of course not.
We know that because correlation does not equal causation. There has to be another step of logical and rationale thought that let’s us know the two things are not related, even if the numbers on a pretty chart look like they may be related.
Tyler Vigen, who compiled all of those crazy correlations explains the relationship (er, or lack thereof):
This is great! Thanks for an awesome post!!
Although I agree that co-relation does not necessarily equal causation, in the case of Genetically Modified 'Roundup Ready' crops that are engineered for resistance to glyphosate, the precautionary principle would dictate that these organisms not be released for commercial production and animal consumption until sufficient long-term, objective, INDEPENDENT and properly designed feeding studies have proven that they cause no harm.Farmer's Daughter, please provide your evidence that this has indeed been done. The onus is on the producer to ensure safety.
Actually, Hilary, the onus for proving that they are safe is not on the farmers; it's on the companies that have produced those products. And the best thing is, they have met that burden!First, take a look at the process a biotech company has to go through before its produce can be sold commercially: <a href="https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/01/how-gm-seed-gets-to-market.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/01/how-… />I also suggest you read my interview with Neal Carter from Arctic Apples, who has actually been through the process with the FDA and understands that it is difficult, lengthy, and thorough. <a href="https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/01/interview-with-neal-carter-of-arctic.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/01/inte… />Once you're done with that, I suggest you check out my article about GENERA, which is a compilation of all studies (independent and those done by the companies) that show GMOs are perfectly safe. The list isn't even completely put together yet and there are already 2,000+ studies done. You can find that here: <a href="https://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/07/just-ignore-those-2000-studies-showing.htmlhttps://www.thefarmersdaughterusa.com/2014/07/just… />As to your concern regarding "independent" studies vs studies that are conducted by the companies, you brought up a very awesome point about science. Science is pretty cool because we can actually take a look at different elements in a study and see if it is reliable or not. That means that no matter who does the study, anyone can check it for credibility. I would assume that if you actually started looking at those 2,000+ studies (of which over 600 are by third parties), you would realize that those studies all have the elements of reliability.Finally, if you would like to look at long-term results of GMOs, you don't have to look any farther than our farms. GMOs have been used in animal feed for about 25 years now. That means there has been several generations of livestock that have survived and reproduced while eating genetically modified foods. Heck, humans have also been eating them for 25 years now. Just as those 2,000+ studies have indicated, the biotech products that are available commercially are completely safe.