DNA Bar Coding Finds Mislabeled Sushi 285
Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss, who graduated this year from the Trinity School in Manhattan, took on a freelance science project to check 60 samples of seafood using a simplified genetic fingerprinting technique called DNA Bar Coding to see whether the fish New Yorkers buy is what they think they are getting, and found that one-fourth of the fish samples with identifiable DNA were mislabeled: A piece of sushi sold as the luxury treat white tuna turned out to be Mozambique tilapia, a much cheaper fish that is often raised by farming. Roe supposedly from flying fish was actually from smelt." (More below.)
"Seven of nine samples that were called red snapper were mislabeled, and they turned out to be anything from Atlantic cod to Acadian redfish, an endangered species. The project began over dinner with Stoeckle's father, a scientist and early proponent of the use of DNA bar codings. Instead of sequencing the entire genome, bar coders examine a single gene. Dr. Stoeckle said he was excited to see the technology used in a new way and compared the technique to GPS. 'The smaller and cheaper you make something,' he said, 'the more uses it has.'"
I'm wondering about the contents of my burrito... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I'm wondering about the contents of my burrito. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'm wondering about the contents of my burrito. (Score:5, Funny)
Doesn't cooking destroy DNA?
This article is about sushi. He's eating his burrito raw.
Confucius say (Score:4, Funny)
Confucius say "Man who check fish too closely never get bone in freelay."
Ahhh, a RED SNAPPAH. Mmmmm, very tasty. (Score:5, Funny)
Kuni: Okay, Weaver, listen carefully. You can hold on to your red snapper...
Kuni: ...or you can go for what's in the box that Hiro-San is bringing down the aisle right now! What's it gonna be?
Phyllis Weaver: I'll take the box. The box!
Kuni: You took the box? Let's see what's in the box!
Kuni: Nothing! Absolutely nothing! STUPID! You're so STU-PIIIIIIIIIIID!
Obligatory Jokes (Score:5, Funny)
Roe supposedly from flying fish was actually from smelt.
Of course, the roe from flying fish are from smelt; they're the ones that are being dive-bombed!
Seven of nine samples...
Leave it to the Slashdot crowd to put a Star Trek reference in a story about seafood.
Re:Someone is gonna be in trouble. (Score:2, Funny)
Convicted sushi restaurant proprietor:"A lot like Atlantic Salmon."
half a pun (Score:3, Funny)
I want to do some sort of pun on Roe v. something but I can't think of anything fishy that rhymes with Wade.
Eh, the best one was from Katrina.
"What does Bush think about Roe vs. Wade?"
"He doesn't care how they get out of New Orleans."
Re:I'm wondering about the contents of my burrito. (Score:3, Funny)
Oh don't worry: If it's from Taco Bell, it doesn't have any organic matter in there anyway.
Great... (Score:5, Funny)
Something's fishy here! (Score:4, Funny)
"If you were going to buy fish/sushi and you just read this article, where would you go?"
Uhmm...fishing?
Re:Big Surprise (Score:5, Funny)
We secretly replaced this group's sushi with Folger's crystals. Let's see if they notice...
Re:Great... (Score:3, Funny)
Getting it hot and covering it with a salty...oh, hell, I'm not even going to finish that one.
Re:Economic Incentive to Mislabel? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:So..?? (Score:2, Funny)
Another words, for all intensive porpoises, the TFA in hails deeply.
fixed that for ya...
Re:So..?? (Score:2, Funny)
As a Mozambique tilapia lover, I support this.
there, fixed that for ya.
Re:So..?? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:So..?? (Score:2, Funny)
For all intents and purposes I suspect you meant to say "all intents and purposes." Otherwise that is one strong purpose, or set of purposes.... you are proposing.
Re:So..?? (Score:5, Funny)
What's this?!?!?! (Score:2, Funny)
"Seven of nine samples that were called red snapper were mislabeled, and they turned out to be anything from Atlantic cod to Acadian redfish, an endangered species."
OK, first:
- No one said there'd be "Seven of Nine" Samples. Jeri Ryan would want to know this. (Well, it did SAY sushi...)
- Red Snapper: I'm leaving that alone.
Can you see how distracting this kinda labeling can be? :>
Ask anyone with a penchant for sea food; "Crab meat" rarely is. And "Sardines"? They're a category of fish, not a species. Just passing the word.
Re:So..?? (Score:3, Funny)
My favourite was spelling "millennium" to someone over the phone, who kept asking "minellium?"
M as in Moron, I as in idiot, L as in lackwit, L as in lackwit, E as in stupid, N as in numbskull, N as in numbskull, I as in idiot, U as in utterly stupid, M as in moron.
She didn't clue in to the "E". :)