Chemical Controversies
Pesticides are substances that prevent, destroy, repel, or reduce the severity of pests. Pests are living things that occur where they are not wanted or that cause damage to humans, crops, or animals. Pests can be insects, rodents, unwanted plants, bacteria, viruses, or different types of fungus. Pesticides can vary in how toxic they are to humans and the environment. Some are persistent in the environment, animals, and birds, lasting for years; others break down soon after they are released. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants licenses, or registrations, to pesticides that it has found do not pose unreasonable risks to human health and the environment; it has registered at least 865 pesticides, which are used in thousands of pesticide products.
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Video: Genetic engineering could help African farmers increase yields without expensive fertilizers
In this video by Robert Hazen of the [Cornell] Alliance for Science, scientists from the Engineering Nitrogen Symbiosis for Africa ...
Inexperienced hobbyist beekeepers ‘major driver’ of honey bee colony losses in Europe
Reports of honey bee population decline has spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to ...
Does National Institutes of Health fund ‘scientifically questionable’ European cancer groups?
The NIH and top official Linda Birnbaum face questions from a Congressional oversight committee about US funding of European cancer ...
Next generation insect-resistant GM cotton could be ‘game changer’ for Australian farmers
A new variety of genetically modified cotton is shaping up to be a game-changer for those looking to grow cotton ...
Chipotle fumbles science in attempt to justify its anti-GMO stance
[Editor's note: Stephan Neidenbach is a middle school teacher and blogger. He runs the popular We Loves GMO and Vaccines ...
What are natural flavors and scents? Biotechnology blurs the definition
A company in the United Kingdom can transform chemicals found in oranges into the coveted flavor of grapefruit. By mixing ...
Fertilizer-making GE microbes could boost crop yields, fight malnutrition in developing world
Industrial fertilizers help feed billions of people every year, but they remain beyond the reach of many of the world’s ...
Was the EPA right not to ban the crop pesticide chlorpyrifos?
The EPA decision allowing farmers to continue using the popular pesticide chlorpyrifos has drawn both praise and scorn, each side ...
Bangladesh announces release of 3 more GMO pest-resistant eggplant varieties
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) will release three more varieties of the country's first genetically modified (GM) crop--Bt Brinjal [eggplant], ...
Greenpeace’s ‘double standard’ on lab-created seedless watermelons and GMOs
[Editor's note: Myles Power is a chemist in Manchester, England. Read the GLP profile of Greenpeace here.] Last year [2016], I ...
What is synthetic biology?
[Synthetic biology is] a discipline that brings together the insights and methodologies of computer science; engineering; and, of course, biology ...
ChemChina takeover of Syngenta approved by US, EU regulators in China’s biggest foreign acquisition ever
U.S. and European regulators have cleared a Chinese conglomerate's proposed $43 billion acquisition of Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta on condition ...
Bee-apocalypse update: Honeybee deaths linked to gut microbe-altering antibiotic
[Editor's note: Kasie Raymann, Zach Shaffer, and Nancy Moran are researchers in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University ...
Scientists challenge Center for Biological Diversity report claiming wild bees near extinction
An environmental group's report grabbed headlines for claiming 1 in 4 wild bee species is at risk of extinction. Many ...
Non-GMO Wild Turkey whiskey? Latest absurd food label illustrates hypocritical anti-GMO cancer fears
[Editor’s note: Kevin Folta is a molecular biologist and chair of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida.] [April 2, ...
Putting cancer risk in perspective: Random errors in DNA replication bigger factor than diet, lifestyle choices
[Editor's note: Jayson Lusk is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.] [E]ven if you eat ...
How we can preserve biodiversity while maintaining agricultural yields, meet nutritional demands
[Editor's note: Claire Kremen is a professor of conservation biology at University of California, Berkeley, where she also co-directs the Center for Diversified ...
Video: Facts, fears and future of GMOs—in a nutshell
GMOs are one of the most controversial areas of science. Genetic engineering is used in many fields, but even though ...
Opposition to Dow-DuPont merger emerges among major farmer group
[Editor's note: The National Farmer's Union is the second largest general farm organization in the country. It represents more than 200,000 ...
Oregon considers new restrictions, labels for neonicotinoid insecticides over bee health concerns
Neonicotinoid pesticides, which critics blame for death and illness among pollinators, would be subject to new restrictions and labeling rules ...
Talking Biotech: What environmental hazards remain from accidental release of GMO grass seeds?
Oregon State's Carol Mallory-Smith says transgene flow from Roundup Ready bentgrass to non-GMO grass species offers lessons for regulators ...
Non-GMO movement plagued by ‘rampant sexism’, critic says
It’s no secret that [moms are] among the most coveted demographics of the non-GMO marketing machine. Jeffrey Smith, one of ...
Potato pest developing resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides
The potato industry may be losing a mainstay in the battle against [the plant-feeding insect] psyllids, according to a recent ...
Plant probiotics: Genetic switch in plants could trigger soil bacteria to increase crop yields
Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have pinpointed a key genetic switch that helps soil bacteria ...
Ripen on demand? New generation of GMO crops could dramatically increase yield
Farmers could one day control when their crops ripen after the development of modified rice that flowers on demand. Despite ...
Extreme Green hypocrisy? Center for Biological Diversity, other anti-GMO groups partner on March for Science
[Editor's note: The following is an open letter to the Center for Biological Diversity regarding their participation in the "March ...
Worst 10 list: Advocacy groups that put ideology ahead of science on food and farming issues
Which organizations promote ideology over science in the debate over crop biotechnology? The list includes some of the most well-known ...
