Ninth Grader Wins Science Prize For Cloning Potatoes

[matcom]

<snip>

WASHINGTON -- The 14-year-old winner of this year's Top Young Scientist competition says she's always wondered if it's possible to put an end to world hunger.

The question inspired Neela Thangada to develop her research project, which involved cloning potatoes and then studying them under different conditions.

The ninth-grader from San Antonio said her goal was to prove that "cloning potatoes accelerates plant growth and promotes higher yields."

Thangada said she came up with the idea after getting a first-hand look at poverty in India and seeing pictures of suffering in Africa and Central America.

Thangada beat out 39 other finalists in the annual competition that's sponsored by the Discovery Channel. She said she's very excited about winning the top prize, a $20,000 college scholarship.

http://www.wftv.com/technology/5132550/detail.html

[Mutley]

1. Wow! Smart kid.

She'll do some amazing things during her lifetime.

[underpants]

2. "Cloned"??? Uh-huh That old trick?

[terrya]

3. "Potatos"?

:-)

[Deja Q]

4. How can there be poverty in India? All our jobs are going over there...

So either Indians are not getting paid what they ought to (though I gather $3/hr is a proverbial goldmine over there) or the suffering of American people isn't as important.

Let's feed and employ our own. Then help out the world by not nixing our jobs and food in the process. :dunce:

[sasquatch]

5. They've got almost a billion people in India, so there's still poverty