Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks GMOs Originated 10,000 Years Ago?Heather Callaghan Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, Cosmos host, and is beloved for his sense of humor and putting complex concepts into laymans terms. He is an Internet sensation as the subject of memes and is paid homage in YouTube video series like Epic Rap Battles of History. After a talk, a French journalist asked Tyson allegedly about genetic modification. Tyson told GMO critics to chill out, but had more to say about how we have always altered the worlds biology to serve us for tens of thousands of years. According to Jason Louv in Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is Dead Wrong About GMOs, the question asked actually concerned trangenics: After the ruckus from the original video, Tyson took to Facebook to clean up the resulting butt-hurt, saying that this clip could not have addressed all the nuances of genetic modification and, that he doesnt speak French. Everything I said is factual, he wrote. So then he addressed some bullet points with his opinions. And again, they draw from the same basis of the logic in the video. Here is an excerpt from Mother Jones: Again, this is still a deflection from the original questioners alleged concern transgenics. For instance, GM plants and wild weeds are swapping genetic material, making the weeds unstoppable. That, and superweeds from pesticide-resistance are kind of the opposite of what we and crops need for survival. So, to pose a question about this does not warrant a chill out response. Also, its kind of ironic that hes suggesting that if we dont continue genetically modifying, we will go extinct. (How is that for the fear-factor?) While his original brush stroke (chill out) was rather broad, now he has compartmentalized the valid concerns people have over the cascading ecological effects that gene transmission introduces still on the basis of its what weve always done. (Which is not the type of science he proposes to believe in.) He is a genius indeed to pull off this belief-bending paradigm creation, much to the glee of science-trendies who call themselves skeptics and rationals. While collaborating with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Tyson once said: With a grim view like that, one could see where the urgency is coming from to defend man-made powers to manipulate forces of the universe. But then why put so much faith in the beneficence of corporate monopoly? At other times (below) he has beheld in awe, the powers of nature. However, it is his unrelated speech about science, evidence and questioning authority that are most interesting. So then, are some questions more equal than others? The divisiveness such comments in the video and Facebook response create is another reason to place principles above personalities to, ironically, take Tysons advice and not worship authorities (or bodies of them, like the vague reference to Science). Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work atNaturalBlaze.com and selfnewsPost.com. Like at Facebook. Recent posts byHeather Callaghan: 