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From: rlb@rtpark.rtp.semi.harris.com
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Tomatoes from Space ?
Message-ID: <1990Oct8.105341.42@rtpark.rtp.semi.harris.com>
Date: 8 Oct 90 14:53:41 GMT
References: <61190@masscomp.ccur.com> <1990Sep30.150742.1828@rodan.acs.syr.edu> <2708f67f-1b7.5sci.space.shuttle-1@vpnet.chi.il.us>
Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Microelectronics Center
Lines: 41

In article <2708f67f-1b7.5sci.space.shuttle-1@vpnet.chi.il.us>, cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (Gordon Hlavenka) writes:
> Lines: 22
> 
> 
>>   I remember reading after the seeds were all distributed that somebody had
>>done an analysis of the seeds, discovered that ... and that no fruit from 
>>them should be eaten...  There was a big to do, and many schools returned 
>>theirs seeds, and the program was changed such that the teacher was supposed
>>to remove all flowers so no fruit could be produced (in public labs/schools)
> 
> What actually happened was that a reporter (as is the wont of reporters)
> phrased a question so as to produce that answer.  It was something along the
> lines of "Wouldn't it be possible that a random mutation might cause the
> plant to produce poisonous fruit?"  (concept only; no attempt to quote).  Of
> course the scientist who was asked this question responded as a true
> scientist, saying that pretty much _anything_ was possible with random
> mutations...  Some members of the press attempted to panic, but were
> unsuccessful.
> 
> No poison fruit has been found to date.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Gordon S. Hlavenka            cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
> Disclaimer:                Yeah, I said it.  So what?
-- 
What I'm most curious about is:  what's being done with the next generation
of seeds from the plants that proved to be fertile(if any)?  The offspring
of plants grown from the exposed seed are much more likely to wild and 
crazy due to the exposure, especially if cross-polination occurred between
different plants in the same batch.

Any biologists/botanists out there that can give some followup on this?

          Bob
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