Bt corn is a variant of
corn, genetically altered by methods of
biotechnology to become
poisonous for
insects. This was achieved by inserting a
gene from the soil-dwelling
microorganism Bacillus thuringiensis (thus
Bt) into the corn
genome. This gene
codes for a toxin
? that will crystallize
? in the [digestive tract]
? of
insect larva
?e, leading to its starvation.
While announced as an outstanding example for "green" biotechnology by the industry, a study from Cornell University in New York suggested that Bt corn might be poisonous to [monarch butterfly]? larvae. Later studies showed that the extreme conditions of the study could not really occur in nature. (I think this is correct? Anybody?)
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