Genetically modified crops aren’t likely to harm the environment or turn into super-weeds that survive longer in the wild than conventional plants, according to a study published today in the journal Nature. The study, which was financed by biotech companies like Monsanto and conducted in Britain, looked at canola, potatoes, corn, and sugar beets that had been engineered to resist insects and herbicides. The study didn’t examine whether the genetically engineered crops could transfer genes to conventional crops and wild relatives through cross-pollination, a possibility that concerns environmentalists.
