There were a number of topics that we discussed. Most I would not like to talk about here as they are somewhat controversial.

But, one that I can mention had to do with genetically modified food.

One of the people at the meeting (~100 people) stated that she thought that genetically modified food could be dangerous and that we need to have warning labels whenever we are purchasing that type of food.

The response from that Science Expert indicated to me that he doesn’t know what “genetically modified food” really is.

After the group discussion I spoke to him personally and said the following (politely, and along with some other things):

You should read a good reference article on genetically modified food because it has a nature that is probably different than what you are thinking.

Basically,

With most of the cases that I have seen, the food itself is not modified. Instead, the plants growing the food have had their genetic code etc. modified so that they have a higher resistance to salt in the soil or so that they can withstand a mild drought.

However, very often the term “genetically modified” means that the plant, such corn, has been genetically modified so that it can grow in areas where there are high levels of some chemical pesticide or herbicide in the soil.

Those plants are generally developed by chemical or agricultural companies. And the purpose for doing the genetic modification is so that extremely high levels of some pesticide or herbicide can be sprayed on them and they will remain alive. The extremely high levels of the pesticide or herbicide do a better job of controlling some bug or fungus etc.

One reason that people don’t like those particular genetically modified plants is the fact that if you are spraying that much pesticide of herbicide on or around the plant, the plants themselves can absorb some of the chemical and store it in the food crop. So, people who know what the term “genetically modified food” actually means are concerned about the effects of those high levels of chemicals on humans when they eat the food.

This “Science Expert” apparently did not really know what the term “genetically modified food” means. And he should have since he helps formulate official U.S. Science Policies. So, I explained that information to him. I myself did not know what it meant for a long time.

MARS PROBE

How about that absolutely spectacular Mars probe landing. I actually understood what was taking place with each step of the landing in that rapid sequence of events. I am assuming that they used something like "cruise missile" radar technology to actually identify the landing site and steer the lander to that area.

It was amazing to see all of those various types of complex technologies work together essentially flawlessly. NASA personnel must have practiced that sequence of events quite a few times to get that many things to work together in such a short period of time.

Was it worth 2.5 billion? My answer would be "yes." One reason that people don't mention is that people who develop advanced medical technologies for the human race etc. need to have something like those space probe adventures to keep them from getting bored.

Another reason for liking it was that it showed other countries around the world that:

"The U.S. is still, or at least close to being, the 'King of the Hill' when it comes to developing advanced technological systems!!!"

I don't know of any other country that has had any successes with landing science experiments on Mars. And we also have several satellites in permanent orbit around Mars. They themselves were part of the initial data transfer process and had to be in just the right place and orientation at the right time.

We can do some pretty impressive things when we want to.

Too bad U.S. scientists can't seem to get that interested in learning how to forecast deadly earthquakes.

These are personal opinions.