Police arrest protesters in downtown Minneapolis Monday afternoon. The debate over biotechnology seems to get louder with each passing month. Critics of bioengineered crops say they're a threat to consumers and the environment.
Most scientists dismiss fears about the health risks of genetically-altered crops.
But there is no scientific consensus when it comes to their environmental impact. MPR's series, Seeding the Future , looks at the debate surrounding genetically modified organisms. The Geneticists' Side Larry Schook, director of the Food, Animal, and Biotechnology Center at the University of Minnesota and an organizer of the animal genetics conference joins Mike Mulcahy on MPR's Midday, to talk about what animal genetics is, whether society is ready for the technology involved in animal genetics, and what they'll be talking about at the conference. The Opponents' Side Melanie Sommer talks with Freeman Wicklund, executive director of Compassionate Action for Animals, an animal-rights activist. Already, scientists are developing goats, sheep and dairy cows with transplanted genes for use in laboratories.