《生物科學趨勢》 2015年9卷2期發表了一篇綜述文章,介紹了過去10多年來轉基因食品安全性的著名事件和相關的爭議。通過閱讀這篇文章,我們就很容易理解為什麽很多人反對和抵製轉基因產品。這是一篇專業性文章,本人想用通俗的語言介紹給大家,同時考慮到文學城藏龍臥虎,專家學者雲集,特此加上原文參考文獻供有興趣的人深度探討。
下表是有關事件的總結:
可以看出自1999年起至今,大概有五起著名的研究或報告都曾引起學術界特別是媒體的高度關注,而且這些結果都被反轉基因運動組織和團體拿來作為證據來反對轉基因產品。其實今天媒體網絡上很多瘋傳的信息及照片都是來自這幾起事件。上述結果的確可以讓所有的人為轉基因產品緊張和擔憂,甚至相信轉基因產品確實對人體有害。人們不僅要問:這麽有害的東西政府為什麽不去禁止反而支持?
事實上科學界和各國政府機構對這些研究結果同樣感到震驚。因為它們主要來自於科學家的研究結果,並且大多數發表在國際著名的專業期刊上。那真相到底如何呢?其實事件發生後,按照慣例,來自不同科研機構的科學家們對這些結果都進行了多次全麵的實驗和評估,有關政府機構也介入了調查。調查結果顯示所有上述研究結果,要麽是實驗重複不出來,要麽是實驗設計不合理,缺少說服力。或者是結果與事實不符,再或者是統計有錯誤,以及僅憑主觀意念,缺少科學依據等等。
由此幾家學術期刊先後都陸續撤回了上訴研究論文或發表聲明澄清有關事實。
大家都知道,科學就是一個探索的過程,在這個過程中由於宇宙的奧秘和人的局限性,出現各種各樣的失誤是非常正常的,當然這些失誤要與少數的科學騙子,偽科學以及那些想出人頭地,博人眼球的投機者人完全分開。更不能因為各種失誤,我們就懷疑否定一切,應該樂觀相信科學是進步的,是逐步完善的。
不幸的是,在每個事件中,媒體總是跑在科學評估的前麵,而科學研究為了其嚴謹性,特別是這些對公眾影響力大的事件所進行的進一步實驗評估結果發表後,媒體往往對此已經沒有了興趣,導致公眾信息滯後及民眾的擔憂。從這個角度看,科學傳播信息的能力常常比媒體差很多。
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