The Secret of Nimrods

Monsanto's confidential research finds that GM foods mess up rats

Rats fed with genetically modified (GM) corn exhibited health problems including shrunken kidneys and blood changes that could indicate immune-system damage or tumors. However, no one knows all the details, since the folks who did the research are the same folks selling the corn -- GM behemoth Monsanto -- and they won't release their 1,139-page study. Monsanto claims it "contains confidential business information which could be of commercial use to our competitors," but the brief research summary was alarming enough that U.K. government ministers and scientists are pressing for more information. The study is likely to make the ongoing debate over GM foods in the European Union even more rancorous. It's also likely to be seen by some as vindication of the research done by Arpad Pusztai, who seven years ago found similar results in rats eating GM potatoes, and was subsequently vilified and driven out of the scientific world.