Cocaine Synthesized In a Tobacco Plant 87
Longtime Slashdot reader Amiga Trombone shares a report from Phys.Org: A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working with a colleague from Syngenta Jealott's Hill International Research Centre in the U.K., has developed a way to synthesize cocaine using a tobacco plant. The group describes how they synthesized the notorious drug and possible uses for their process in their paper published in Journal of the American Chemical Society.
In studying the coca plant, the researchers discovered that the cocaine that winds up in its leaves is not produced by elements in the plant converting 4-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)-3-oxobutanoic acid to hyoscyamine, as has been thought. They found that it is instead produced by the two enzymes, EnMT4 and EnCYP81AN15. To prove their discovery, the group genetically engineered a tobacco plant to produce the two enzymes in its leaves, which resulted in the production of small amounts of cocaine (with assistance from a substance also produced in the plant called ornithine, which is similar to the precursor in the coca plant). [...] Not mentioned in the paper is the possibility of synthesizing the two enzymes produced by both the coca and engineered tobacco plant as a more direct way to synthesize cocaine.
In studying the coca plant, the researchers discovered that the cocaine that winds up in its leaves is not produced by elements in the plant converting 4-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)-3-oxobutanoic acid to hyoscyamine, as has been thought. They found that it is instead produced by the two enzymes, EnMT4 and EnCYP81AN15. To prove their discovery, the group genetically engineered a tobacco plant to produce the two enzymes in its leaves, which resulted in the production of small amounts of cocaine (with assistance from a substance also produced in the plant called ornithine, which is similar to the precursor in the coca plant). [...] Not mentioned in the paper is the possibility of synthesizing the two enzymes produced by both the coca and engineered tobacco plant as a more direct way to synthesize cocaine.
Southern states (Score:5, Funny)
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The big business wing of the party is stronger than the christian fundamentalist, racist and gun nut wings.
That isn't so true anymore: Republican are falling out of love with America Inc. [economist.com]
As the GOP becomes more populist they are abandoning sensible pro-business policies.
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Re:Southern states (Score:5, Insightful)
Parents wanting sexual material and political propaganda removed from their children's school libraries is not the same as banning books. Nobody has been stopped from writing, publishing or selling any books, but there are books that are not appropriate for school libraries.
A book about a penguin with two dads is political propaganda? Whatever happened to the party of small government telling me to simply not patronize a business if they're doing something I don't like? One could simply not read book if it offends your snowflake beliefs.
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Ten years ago, keeping sexually explicit material out of school libraries would not have been a controversial issue. That some people have made it one by putting that material in schools without any input from parents is simply disgusting. That they would then have the nerve to tel
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One could simply not read book if it offends your snowflake beliefs.
suppose my local elementary schools will finally accept my homemade adaptations of mein kampf and the kama sutra.
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Parents wanting sexual material and political propaganda removed from their children's school libraries is not the same as banning books. Nobody has been stopped from writing, publishing or selling any books, but there are books that are not appropriate for school libraries.
I get to decide what my child can read, not someone else. They can control what their children can read, just like I do; remove a book from a school library and I've lost that right. My rights don't end where the religious beliefs of others begins.
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Re: Southern states (Score:2)
You have to realize when you're dealing with "conservatives", that when they say things like freedom, rights, or small government, that they aren't about other people, they are talking about themselves.
With "conservatives" there is an "in group" and an "out group" or "other". They believe the "in group" is that one that gets the freedoms and protections of the law, but the "other" is the one that is subject to the force of the law, but not the protections.
Remembering that makes things make more sense when y
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and this is a goal because...? (Score:3)
Is finding more ways to produce cocaine supposed to further humanity's progress somehow?
Re:and this is a goal because...? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:and this is a goal because...? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Re: and this is a goal because...? (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes. It improves our knowledge of biology and chemistry. Perhaps other substances can be synthesized easier from other common plants.
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Caffeine or coca would simply avoid the negative responses.
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Mod parent up. Remember the firefly-spliced tobacco plants? More of that, please. I would love to have luminous plants lining the walk.
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I know it's bad form to read the summary, but it says that they did it to demonstrate the mechanism they had discovered when investigating the coca plant.
Two addictions with One Cigarette (Score:5, Insightful)
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Well, there is an efficiency benefit for people addicted to both hard drugs and tobacco since now they can get it all in one cigarette. Does that count?
Don't you just love how the cigarette industry can kill hundreds of thousands every year, and yet their marketing is so damn good that no one considers the largest killer, a "hard" drug?
Look at Life Expectancies (Score:3)
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The reason tobacco causes so many deaths is that so many smoke it. Most heroine users die in their die by their 40s or 50s [drugrehab.ca], smokers have a life expectancy of about 72 [canada.ca]. Tobacco is dangerous but hard drugs are even worse.
Well, that answer oddly sounded like a tobacco exec giving a presentation. Tobacco kills far more, but isn't "worse". It's not a "hard" drug per se Sure it kills far more, but softly. And with less tar.
No wonder doctors used to be in cigarette sales.
And let's be realistic about the numbers. The reason so many addicts consume an insanely addictive product, is because it's legal. As far as what is "worse" for society at large, it's rather obvious which one has a greater negative impact. No matter ho
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Re: Look at Life Expectancies (Score:3)
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By the time you have been smoking 20yrs, you are just as dead as a hard drug user, its just delayed. Quitting wont spare you the COPD down the road. They are the walking dead.
Not so sure death statistics hold up to your claim here. Otherwise, insurance companies would be far more concerned about your tobacco use well beyond "in the last 12 months", in order to charge "the walking dead" a lot more and generate way more profit.
Tobacco is strange. It can kill a smoker in 5 years, or it can bless an addict with half a damn century of 3-pack a day and live a long life. Doesn't always create a predictable end result.
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Oh yeah living to 72 and being a heavy smoker sounds like a real blast.
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Most heroine users die in
Most heroine users die when the heroine finds out what they've been up to when she's not around.
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Looks like big tobacco is taking the 'high' road and branching out into the illicit drug market!
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Just watch out for the cows when you get those Tomaco plants going!
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Science is science. It always puts a foot forward.
Plus cocaine IS a drug thats used in medical settings too as a topical anesthetic par excellence.
Regardless, we've actually known how to synthesize for a very long time now (1890s). though I presume its difficult and expensive compared to destroying a south american democracies otherwise we would be seeing most of our supply via the synthetic route.
Re: and this is a goal because...? (Score:3)
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Cocaine as an eye anesthetic causes less dilation of the small blood vessels which causes less tissue death compared to the other, quite different, *caine anesthetics.
Had cocaine not been made illegal, millions of people that had eye surgery between the ban and the event of laser surgery could have been spared partial blindness.
Of course the types of people favoring the criminalization of useful medical drugs on the basis "reality is wrong, I say they have no medical use because reasons" aren't the type to
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It will make life better for people in Columbia when they don't have to deal with cartels funded by drugs sent to America.
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Re: and this is a goal because...? (Score:2)
Tomacco (Score:5, Insightful)
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The managed this in 2003: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Simpsons fan, Rob Baur of Lake Oswego, Oregon, was inspired by the episode. Remembering the article in a textbook, Baur cultivated a tomacco in 2003 by grafting together tobacco and tomato plants. The plant produced fruit that looked like a normal tomato, but Baur suspected that it contained a lethal amount of nicotine and thus would be inedible. Testing later proved that the leaves of the plant contained some nicotine, though a sample from the fruit was unable to be examined by the same laboratory.[17] Both plants are members of the same family, Solanaceae or nightshade.[18] The tomacco plant bore tomaccoes until it died after 18 months, spending one winter indoors.[18]
Better late than never (Score:4, Funny)
> A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ... has developed a way to synthesize cocaine using a tobacco plant.
They're 183 years too late to influence the Opium wars but better late than never I suppose.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Score:2)
Thanks you for your service
Two enzymes (Score:3)
If it's just two enzymes, it should be pretty easy for someone to splice into yeast or bacteria. Then you can have a nice jar of "sourdough culture," "kefir" or "kombucha" at home.
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Assuming that the yeast/bacteria have a high enough tolerance of cocaine.
Re:Two enzymes (Score:4, Funny)
My ex is living proof that yeast can thrive in a cocaine rich environment.
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That's terrible.
call it tommaco and you can sell to anyone! (Score:2)
call it tommaco and you can sell to anyone!
Great! (Score:4, Funny)
Coco puffs (Score:5, Funny)
I saw their interview.. (Score:4, Funny)
One the right path (Score:2)
Pretty soon we'll be able to have the REAL Mexican Coca-Cola that God intended. Not just a version special because it has real sugar.
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Pretty soon we'll be able to have the REAL Mexican Coca-Cola that God intended.
Mexican? What on Earth has Mexican got to do with it?
It was America that put cocaine in Coca-Cola. The clue is right there in the name.
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Mexican? What on Earth has Mexican got to do with it?
Due to (among other things) taxes on cane sugar, Coca-Cola made in the US is made with high fructose corn syrup (a formula change that was made between the introduction of New Coke and the "return" of Coke Classic). Many, if not most, other countries where Coca-Cola is sold use a recipe more similar to that of the original (i.e. exclusively using, or at least including cane sugar), and Mexico is notable here because it's cheap and easy to import. In fact, more recent formulations in Mexico also contain co
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look at who is doing it.... (Score:2)
fentanyl wasn't enough for the Chinese....
expect some smokes with baked in coke
Finally (Score:1)
Finally, stuff that matters.
Although instead of publicizing it they should have silently launched some DIY kit or seeds or crispr shit
Queue Congressional Tesitimony (Score:2)
Queue some Congressional testimony [youtube.com].
Weaopnization (Score:3)
The CCP is already the cause of most Fentanyl addicts in the US. [dea.gov] They have a huge grudge over opium and use this as yet another kind of warfare. This is the likely reason for this, they are literally fighting for control with cartels. [brookings.edu]
Fun in suburbs... (Score:1)
Put that Bolivian Marching Powder gene into dandelions and release it into the wild.
1. Anyone with a lawn will be eating dandelion salad instead of bitching about the weeds...
2. You will never, ever get control of the spread of the dandelions. In a few years, the entire world will be satelliting.
Big Tobacco stops at nothing (Score:2)
I, for one, welcome our new cocaine cigarettes, the toilet seats weren't so nice.
Next up, cocaine in pot plants. (Score:2)
I figure it's a win-win.
Toke-Caine gamer fun (Score:2)
Or.... (Score:2)
Or, they could try synthesizing cocaine using a coca plant. Duh.
Fine by me. (Score:1)