The effort to prepare an archive of the GM debate began in 2008, when it became clear that the GM crop and food phenomenon would be a useful way to study societal reactions to new technologies.
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The science underpinning the deployment of the technology and the safety of GM products was attested by most of the scientific community …. Opposition, it seemed to most scientists, was clearly not based primarily on the validity of scientific findings….
This was not the first vigorous public reaction to new technologies. Innovation is often accepted with alacrity — think of the Sony Walkman and the iPhone — but sometimes causes trouble.
[W]e realized that there would be many lessons to learn about how (and how not) to introduce a new technology, as well as whether (or not) it might be wise to do so.it is now finally open for use, housed at the Science Museum’s Wroughton site, near Swindon (see go.nature.com/2btqdk1). … The archive contains important records, including correspondence, from researchers, campaigners and the public-relations firms used by the biotech companies to try to counter opposition.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: The debate over GM crops is making history
