Though explaining the entire human genetic blueprint is still a few years away, scientists have begun laying claim to the stretches of DNA whose codes they have succeeded in cracking. In recent years researchers have flooded the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with applications for thousands of genes and gene fragments — and they have stirred a lot of controversy in the process.
The biggest problem with patenting genes is that while scientists have at least a general idea of what specific strands of genetic coding do, often it’s just that — general. Investigators do sometimes succeed in isolating a single, crisp gene with a single known function. Often, however, researchers trying to map genes get no further than marking off fragmentary stretches of DNA that may be thousands of bases in length. These so-called expressed sequence tags may have real genetic information embedded in them, but determining where those fragments are and what their structure is takes more digging. Geneticists have lately been filing patent applications for these ESTs anyway. "I would guess that in many cases the scientists didn’t even examine all the material," says Bruce Lehman, commissioner of the Patent and Trademark Office.
Not only can such filings be careless genetics, they can also be bad business. EST applications may lead to so-called submarine patents, claims that are made today and then vanish, only to reappear when some unsuspecting scientist finds something useful to do with genes hidden in the patent.
More troubling is an economic issue. If the entire genetic schematic is preemptively (抢先) owned by the research teams studying it now, where is the incentive for independent scientists — often sources of great innovation — to work on it later: Licensing costs, warns Jeffrey Kahn, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics, could hold medical progress hostage. Patenting supporters insist that an equally persuasive argument could be made that the large genome-mapping groups need patent protection to make their work worthwhile to them.
Stickier than the economic question is the ethical one. Most of us shrink from the idea of anyone’s owning the rights to any part of the human form. Besides, if the first anatomist (解剖学家) to spot, say, the pancreas (胰腺) was not granted title to it, why should modern genome mapping scientist be able to claim even a single gene: That kind of argument is grounded not in law but in the very idea of what it means to be human — an issue that even the highest federal court is not likely to settle.
The word "submarine" (Line 2, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to ______ .

A．E-business has eliminated many competitive rivals.
B．E-business has done many benefits to big companies.
C．Many companies have joined in the E2 business program.
D．E-business has’ great potential and will make changes in the country.

As you can imagine, organic agricultural practices are quite distinct from those of "conventional" fanning.
Organic farmers:
feed soil and build soil matter with natural fertilizer to grow their crops use insect predators, mating disruption, traps and barriers to protect crops from pests and disease make use of crop rotation, mechanical tillage and hand-weeding, as well as cover crops, mulches, flame weeding and other management methods to control weed growth.As a last resort, organic farmers may apply certain botanical or other non-synthetic pesticides. Conventional farmers:,
apply chemical fertilizers to the soil to grow their crops spray with insecticides to protect crops from pests and disease use synthetic herbicides to control weed growth.
How Do I Know if a Food is Organic
Look for the word "organic" on vegetables or pieces of fruit, or on the sign above the organic produce display. The word "organic" may also appear on packages of meat, cartons of milk or eggs, cheese and other single-ingredient foods. Foods labeled "100 percent organic" must contain only organic ingredients. Products containing at least 70 percent organic content can be labeled "made with organic ingredients". Those foods labeled simply "organic" must have at least 95 percent organic ingredients, by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt. Anyone who knowingly sells or labels a product "organic" that is not produced and handled in accordance with these regulations can face a civil penalty of up to $10,000.
Foods grown and processed according to the federal standards will in most cases bear the seal "USDA Organic". As its use is voluntary, companies may choose not to display the seal.
Why Should I Care if a Food is Organic According to the USDA, organic food production allows farmers to lower input costs, decrease reliance on nonrenewable resources, capture high-value markets and premium prices, and boost farm income. Organic agriculture also has many important environmental, benefits:
It promotes sustainability by establishing an ecological balance to prevent soil fertility or pest problems. In the long run, organic farms tend to conserve energy and protect the environment by maintaining ecological harmony.
It enhances biodiversity, or the presence of multiple plant and animal species. Having a highly diverse genetic pool becomes useful in the future when beneficial characteristics can be tapped.
Because organic agriculture utilizes practices such as crop rotations, inter-cropping, symbiotic associations, cover crops and minimum tillage, the length of time that the soil is exposed to erosive forces is decreased, which minimizes nutrient losses and boosts soil productivity. By not using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic agriculture-reduces pollution of groundwater.
Organic agriculture helps to minimize the greenhouse effect and global warming through its ability to keep carbon in the soil.
Why is Organic Food So Expensive
Prices tend to be higher for organic titan conventional products. As stated on the Web site of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), certified organic products are generally, more expensive than their conventional counterparts because:
The organic food supply is limited as compared to demand. Production costs for organic foods are typically higher because of greater labor input and because farmers don’t produce enough of a single product to lower the overall cost.
Post-harvest handling of relatively small quantities of organic foods results in higher costs because organic and conventional 0roduce must be separated for processing and transportation.
Marketing and the distribution chain for organic products are relatively inefficient, and costs are higher because of relatively small volumes.
The FAO also notes that as the demand for organic food and products increases, technological innovations and economies of scale should reduce costs of production, processing, distribution and marketing for organic produce.
Is Organic Food Better than Conventional Food
Organic and conventional food must meet the same quality and safety standards. Organic food differs from conventionally produced food simply in the way it is grown, handled, and processed. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that it is more nutritious or safer than conventional food. A recently published report indicates that organic food is less likely to contain pesticide residues than conventional food. Yet, according to the National Research Council, the traces of pesticides left on conventionally grown products are unlikely to cause an increased cancer risk. Also, if fruits and vegetables are properly washed, most of the chemicals can be removed. As for taste, that’s up to you to decide what you like best. In general, people tend to find that the fresher a food is, the better it tastes, regardless of how it was produced.