Non-invasive prenatal screening for certain abnormalities in fetal chromosomes should be offered to at-risks mothers, recommends the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). The opinion has been well-received by companies that offer the technology for this test.
View the original article here: Non-invasive prenatal test for at-risk mothers recommended by US medical society
Extra pounds are usually considered a downer, and obesity has been linked to higher rates of depression, mood and anxiety disorders, job discrimination and childhood social isolation. But the relationship between weight and emotional well-being has many mechanisms, and a new study may lend new credence to the notion of “fat but happy.”
View the original article here: ‘Fat But Happy’ Gene Raises Questions About Obesity, Depression
View the original article here: Scientists oppose GMO’s ban
If you don’t believe in miracles like that organic produce is nutritionally superior or that you can taste GMOs in food, the National Organic Coalition thinks you are on the take from slightly bigger Big Ag. Even if you are the Obama administration’s USDA, the $29 billion organic food industry thinks you are For Sale.
View the original article here: Organic Farmers Condemn Scientific Method
The recent Cabinet ban on the importation of GM foods citing health risks was unfortunate. It was clear proof that we are still sceptical about the role of science in economic growth. I fully support the Cabinet’s concern on the rising cases of cancer. However, this should be investigated holistically without pointing fingers at GM foods. It should be noted that genetic modification, which is the application of scientific knowledge to transfer beneficial genetic traits from one species to another to obtain desired results, is not alien science.
View the original article here: Blanket ban on GM food imports overlooked benefits of science
A temporary halt on the planting of GMO corn took place on Thursday, Nov. 22 as it was announced that proposed plantings of the highly controversial genetically modified maize were halted in Mexico.
The news means that the successor’s government of president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto will now handle the issue sometime in the spring of 2013 according to Reuters.
View the original article here: Mexico GMO Corn Plantings Postponed as 7,000 Years of Agriculture Hangs in the Balance
If our continent is ever going to feed itself, we’re going to have to beat the odds–and adopt the same tools that are taken for granted in so much of the developed world. That means we must have access to seeds improved with biotechnology.
I’ve seen the benefits of GM crops firsthand. Just south of Johannesburg, I own several acres of land and rent more. For the last eight years, I’ve grown genetically modified corn and soybeans. They are outstanding crops. My yields have improved by more than one-third, meaning that the economics of farming never have been better. Agriculture doesn’t have to be a subsistence occupation. It can be a sustainable profession.
View the original article here: We Must Remove the Landmines That Limit Access to Biotechnology in Africa
Synthetic biology, the newer, cooler branch of genetic engineering, has gained a lot of attention in recent years because of its innovative take on biology, as well as for its similarities with the hugely successful software industry. But synthetic biology still struggles in one key area where the software industry excels: open access to information. Synthetic biology could easily be buried beneath patents protecting proprietary information, much like the pharmaceutical and biotech industries today. And while computer science and synthetic biology aren’t identical (there will likely be a lot less on the consumer-facing end from engineered DNA), a more open-source model within synthetic biology could expedite the experimentation process, allowing researchers to focus on the engineering aspects and not time-consuming DNA synthesis — ultimately bringing some of these ungodly sounding new life-forms out from labs and into the commercial world.
View the original article here: How to Code A Life
Biologists at UC San Diego have demonstrated for the first time that marine algae can be just as capable as fresh water algae in producing biofuels.
View the original article here: Bioengineered marine algae expands environments where biofuels can be produced
Eugenics, once discredited as part of the first wave of social authoritarian progressives that trampled free will for women, handicapped people and minorities, is attempting a 21st century comeback.
One advantage society has now is that the first time eugenics rolled around, there were a whole lot of people with very little education who were steam-rolled by self-styled progressive elites, including a Supreme Court justice named Oliver Wendell Holmes who could turn his bigotry into law. As much as we can complain about science literacy today, it is far ahead of what it was even 25 years ago and well beyond a century back. That debate about the line between good eugenics and bad, rather than blind acceptance of the consensus, will be vital to a policy that makes sense.
Additional Resources:
View the original article here: Genetic Literacy Project On Neo-Eugenics
