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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Superweeds: Superweed-ay

For years, farmers have been spraying their fields with Roundup, the weed-killing miracle chemical that cut down on labor costs and also fed the sociopathic glee of the world's most hateful weedists. But it seems certain species of weed have adapted to the poison, creating a new breed of superweed that could DESTROY THE KNOWN UNIVERSE! Or, at least, raise the cost of food. These superweeds have to be plowed into submission or pulled by hand, adding a premium to the cost of farming. Plus, many farmers purchase genetically modified seeds for Roundup-proof crops. If Roundup stops working on weeds, then there's no reason to use it at all. Thus, there's no reason to purchase these GM seeds, putting mom and pop megacorporations like Monsanto in fiscal trouble. And I'm no scientist, but it doesn't seem like there's any reason why superweeds couldn't also adapt to hand pulling by developing limbs, nervous systems, and their own mechanized weapons. As Jeff Goldblum wisely said, life finds a way. More details here.