The Science Guy Bill Nye changes his mind about GMOs after visiting Monsanto

Bill Nye, renowned as the “science guy,” made news for changing his mind about genetic engineering (or GMOs) after a visit to Monsanto, the pesticide and seed giant at the forefront of the biotechnology industry.

“And there’s a chapter in {my book] that I’m going to revise… I went to Monsanto and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there… I have revised my outlook [on GMOs].”  — Bill Nye the Science Guy

Nye has actually angered many scientists. Over the years, including in a chapter in his 2014 book “Undeniable,” Nye has suggested that there’s something fundamentally problematic with foods containing GMO crops. He has argued that GMOs may carry environmental risks that we can never rule out with certainty.

Now, Nye seems to have changed his mind. Backstage after an appearance on Bill Maher’s “Real Time,” Nye said an upcoming revision to his book would contain a rewritten chapter on GMOs. “I went to Monsanto,” Nye said, “and I spent a lot of time with the scientists there, and I have revised my outlook, and I’m very excited about telling the world. When you’re in love, you want to tell the world.”

He’s talked to some scientists and is eager to tell people what he has learned about genetically modified food.

So what did Nye learn at Monsanto headquarters that changed his mind? In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, Nye said that he does not believe genetically engineered crops are inherently bad. To the contrary, he said he now believes that they have been beneficial to agriculture.

To illustrate his point, he explained that GMO crops “put the herbicides and pesticide inside the plant, rather than spraying it on them and having it run down into streams.”

If GMO food products are proven harmless and good for people and animals to eat, why is Monsanto and the big agribusiness cartel so strongly opposed to having the foods labeled as such?