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  3. Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, publ

Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, publ

admin2022-08-18  23
问题     Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, published in September 2012 by Food and Chemical Toxicology. Well, actually, it doesn’t. On November 28th the journal retracted (撤回) it. It would be too much to say that GM foods have thereby been proven safe. But no other study has so far found significant health risks in mammals as a result of eating them.
    The article was by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, in France, and his colleagues. It described what happened to rats fed with NK603 maize, a variety made resistant to a herbicide called glyphosate (草甘膦) by a genetic modification made by Monsanto, an American firm.
    In Dr. Seralini’s experiment, rats fed with the modified maize were reckoned more likely to develop tumours than those which had not been. Females were especially badly affected: their death rates were two or three times as high as those of control groups. (Rats fed with diluted (稀释的) glyphosate also suffered health damage.)
    The article was explosive. Jean-Marc Ayrault, France’s prime minister, said that if its results were confirmed his government would press for a Europe-wide ban on NK603 maize. Russia suspended imports of the crop. Kenya banned all GM crops. The article came out two months before a referendum (公投) in California that would have required the labelling of all GM foods. It played a role in the vote, though in the event the proposition was defeated. The paper had all the more impact because it contradicted previous studies on GM foods.
    But Dr. Seralini’s paper was also explosive for reasons unrelated to its content. It stirred up controversy before it was even published because the authors insisted that journalists who were given advance copies could not seek independent comment on the contents when writing their articles, and would face a large fine if they did so. This was an unusual and widely criticised requirement, which had the effect of ensuring that third-party criticism of the paper did not appear during the important early days when a huge amount of public attention was focused on the findings. That may help explain the panicky reactions in France, Kenya and Russia.
    Though the paper has been retracted, that is unlikely to be end of the matter. The journal’s publisher said there was "no evidence of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of the data", which are the usual justifications for retraction. Scientific opinion runs strongly against the conclusion that GM foods are harmful—but not universally so.
What do we know about GM foods so far?
选项 A、They have been proven safe for people to eat.
B、They can cause cancer to some extent.
C、All of the articles about them have been retracted.
D、No other proofs of GM foods having health risks on mammals.
答案D
解析 细节题。根据题干中的GM foods so far定位到原文第一段。该段中提到，虽然就此说转基因食品是安全的有些言之过早，不过到目前为止还没有其他研究发现哺乳动物因食用转基因食品给健康带来危害。四个选项中只有D项表述符合原文，故选D。
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