Agricultural Regs & Ethics
Jane Goodall decries GM proponents as ‘anti-science’
Dame Jane Goodall, the renowned primate expert, has condemned ‘deluded’ politicians for pushing ‘Frankenstein Food’. The highly respected academic has ...
Monarch population rebounds as NRDC sues EPA for not stopping ‘Armageddon’–Are GMOs the problem?
While monarch butterfly overwintering numbers rose this year, the overall trend remains down. But the simplistic narrative blaming GMOs for ...
Best of both worlds: Farmer sees benefits in planting mix of GMO and non-GMO
For a Tolstoy farmer, the issue of whether to grow GMO crops isn’t as clear cut as it is for ...
GMO farmers give up plow, making for healthier soil
Neatly tilled fields have long been a hallmark of American agriculture and its farmers, by and large traditionalists who often ...
Ethical ‘decision day’: How should we regulate ‘gene editing’ of humans?
Should we tinker with the genes of our descendants? It's been a futuristic ethical debate for half a century. Now ...
Beyond ‘romance’ of organics: 6 ignored sustainable practices organic proponents should embrace
Organic farming is often promoted by followers as 'close to Nature'--the sustainable way to grow food. Although some organic techniques ...
Science: Genetically enhanced foods are greener option
It is unfortunate that many advocates of sustainable agricultural practices and “green” thinkers have embraced ideas that lie well outside ...
Ancient wheat DNA found in Britain provides clues to history of agriculture
Some of us spend so much time thinking about not eating wheat, particularly its key protein, gluten, that it can be difficult ...
Activists raise alarms over fisheries using GMO soy as feed
Much of the fish feed now used in open-net pens includes GM soy -- an ingredient that Monsanto and Cargill ...
Are emerging genetic engineering techniques sustainable?
In the past four decades technology has fundamentally altered our lives: from the way we work to how we communicate ...
British farmers abandoning less sustainable, more costly organic techniques
Even as demand for organic food remains high, the farmers producing it are falling by the wayside. UK government figures ...
Peak food? Can food tech supercharge crop yields and address global food security?
Breakthroughs are helping researchers 'supercharge' photosynthesis and increase rice yields. But anti-GMO critics say food security should focus on distribution, ...
Friends of the Earth report blames Big Ag of forcing GMOs in Africa
African governments must do more to control the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops that could affect smallholders, says a ...
Organic and biotech leaders clash at summit meant to promote cooperation
Can genetically modified crops grow in harmony with their non-GMO counterparts? The debate between the pro-biotech and non-GMO camps increasingly ...
#ScientistsArePeople! “Mommy PhD” campaign challenges anti-GMO death, rape threats against scientists
I'm a scientist. Yet when I go on to advocacy blogs to share science-based information, my comments are deleted. I’m ...
Vandana Shiva trashes GMOs—Florida’s best hope for orange tree disease
I get rather irritated when I listen to Vandana Shiva, mostly because her ideas are rooted in a place of ...
Ban on Bt brinjal (eggplant) in India unjustified
Five years ago, on 10 February, India’s then minister of environment Jairam Ramesh announced a so-called temporary moratorium on the ...
Evolution is weird: Killer diseases save lives and make us smarter?
Inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, Tay-Sachs disease and certain breast cancers can kill you or make life very challenging. So why ...
Consumers willing to pay more for GM potatoes with food safety benefits
New research from an Iowa State Univ. economist found consumers were willing to spend more for genetically modified potato products ...
Judge considers delaying GM lawsuit in Hawaii
A federal judge said she would consider delaying proceedings for a lawsuit challenging Maui's ban on the cultivation of genetically ...
Investigative food journalism should go for more than the yuck factor
Recent articles in the UK news media have 'lifted the lid' on the production of convenience food. While on the ...
Modern European languages traced to waves of migrating ancient Russian herders
New DNA evidence suggests that herders from the grasslands of today's Russia and Ukraine carried the roots of modern European ...
Eaten alive: Crops can ‘feel’ insects eating them, providing clues to insect resistance
A new study arrived at the fairly gruesome conclusion that plants can feel insects eat them alive. And a specific type of plant, ...
Robots find genetic mutations in crops, accelerating breeding solutions
If you want to find what’s probably the best example of what robots are doing in crop development, come to ...
5 reasons how Consumer Reports rejects science on GMOs
Consumer Reports is escalating its opposition to GMO foods. Now, even responses to subscriber/customer inquiries are met with the a ...
The Death of death? Review of “Evolving Ourselves” and unnatural selection
The meat of this controversial new book is the immense array of futurist and transhumanist possibilities for driving change on ...
New genetically engineered peanuts resistant to pests, diseases
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a major species of the family, Leguminosae, and economically important not only for vegetable oil but ...
