Biotechnology
Vitamin-enhanced GMO potatoes could combat malnutrition—if they ever hit the market
Sufferers of malnutrition in the global south could soon find help from an unlikely source: a humble potato, genetically tweaked ...
Genetic engineering, synthetic biology poised to boost photosynthesis and carbon capture
In a feature article published in the open access journal eLife, an international team of experts led by Dr Bonnie Wintle ...
Podcast: Who should have access to gene-editing tools?
Scientists and researchers from major labs are putting their minds and grant dollars into gene editing tools like CRISPR, which ...
Viewpoint: Why it’s time to start talking about a glyphosate herbicide replacement
Don’t get me wrong. I fully recognise the current need for Irish tillage and grassland farmers to use the herbicide ...
‘Semi-synthetic’ organism expands DNA base alphabet
Every living thing on Earth stores the instructions for life as DNA, using the four genetic bases A, G, C, ...
Drought-resistant plant genes could lead to crops that need less water
Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a common set of genes that enable different ...
Plant genetics pioneer Joanne Chory wins $3 million Breakthrough Prize
Salk Institute scientist Joanne Chory, one of the world’s preeminent plant biologists who is now leading the charge to combat global ...
Activist groups plan to sue Germany, EU over glyphosate herbicide re-approval
Environmentalist groups said on Monday [Dec. 4] that Germany and the European Union had broken the rules when assessing the ...
Talking Biotech: How will agricultural-biotech seed company mergers impact farmers and sustainability?
French researcher Sylvie Bonny: Some worry that corporate consolidation will raise seed prices and hurt farmers, while others believe mergers ...
Insecticide resistance threatens to derail malaria control in Africa
The largest genetic study of mosquitoes has found their ability to resist insecticides is evolving rapidly and spreading across Africa, ...
Number of genetically engineered crops could balloon thanks to new technique using pollen DNA
[T]he war over GM crops, though intense, has so far been restricted to a small number of battlefields – corn, ...
Glyphosate, Monsanto and Europe: How science and reason almost lost out to hysteria and emotion
The glyphosate saga is a fascinating case study in how easily politics can derail science. In watching the glyphosate issue ...
CRISPR and agriculture: Technology improving crop yields, nutrition and stress tolerance
The present study reviews agricultural applications related to the use of CRISPR systems in plants from 52 peer-reviewed articles published ...
Video: World’s tiniest tape recorder made with CRISPR and built from microbes
[H]ere’s a use for the bacteria we bet you’ve never considered: Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center have created the world’s ...
Podcast: CRISPR co-creator Jennifer Doudna addresses ethics of human genome editing
In this episode of the Waking Up podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jennifer Doudna about the gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9. They ...
Can we solve the patent issues that threaten CRISPR research?
[Editor's note: Lawrence Horn is President and CEO of MPEG LA, which provides licenses for standards and other technology platforms.] Although recent ...
Salmon may soon be fed GMO canola high in omega-3 fatty acids
The omega-3 canola oil, which is extracted from rape plants that have been genetically modified to produce the key fatty ...
Genetic Literacy Project’s Top 6 Stories for the Week – Dec. 4, 2017
EU re-approval of glyphosate herbicide dodges farming economic woes—for now | Andrew Porterfield Have humans or any of Earth's creatures stopped evolving? | David ...
Kenya field trail shows promise of GMO insect-resistant Bt corn to combat fall armyworm African invasion
Scientists in [Kenya] have successfully tested genetically modified maize samples that are resistant to stem borer and are drought tolerant ...
How France, Italy and Belgium would profit if glyphosate is banned or restricted
If Paris and Rome carry through with their plans to ban glyphosate, a small group of French, Italian and Belgian ...
What foods have pesticide residues? When do the chemical traces pose dangers?
Dosage and length of exposure determines whether a compound actually produces toxic effects and could lead to such diseases as ...
Higher prices and uncertain benefits: Are organic foods worth it?
Consumers have been paying a lot to eat organic; foods with the certification sometimes costs twice as much as conventional products. The premium prices may not be ...
GMO sugar beets help farmers reduce herbicide, water and fuel use, improve soil
You could say sugar-beet sugar runs through the blood of Luke Adams. “I grew up a sugar beet farmer,” Adams ...
‘Unmitigated disaster’: South Australian farmers enraged by government’s GMO crop ban
South Australia’s farmers are unlikely to have access to genetically modified (GM) crops until at least 2025 after a bill to extend ...
Sharpening CRISPR gene-editing accuracy with ‘molecular glue’
[A]lthough [CRISPR] technology reliably finds and cuts the targeted stretch of DNA sequence, fixing that cut as desired has been ...
UN FAO, African Union urge governments to adopt biotech to address food insecurity, malnutrition
The African Union Commission and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), urged African governments to proactively employ science, technologies and innovations – ...
Vote to approve glyphosate herbicide shakes up German, EU politics
European Union countries found themselves at odds on Monday [Nov. 27] over weed killer. After a long deadlock over renewing the ...