Crops & Food
We eat to live. Humans use approximately 11% of Earth’s land for the cultivation of crops for food, but also for clothing, medicine and biofuels. Globally, major crops include sugarcane, pumpkin, maize (corn), wheat, rice, cassava, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
CRISPR guacamole, anyone? Gene-edited avocados could survive disease, cold climates
Researchers from Texas Tech University and the University of Buffalo have studied avocados in a way that is best described as ...
Video: Prof Joe Schwarcz on why bugs may be coming to our dinner plates
Pretty soon there will be 9 billion people coming to dinner. That population boom is going to require an increase ...
‘Teaching plants new tricks’: How synthetic biology is reshaping agriculture
Aug 7-9, San Jose, California – the American Society for Plant Biology (ASPB) showcased the latest research in Plant Synthetic Biology ...
Viewpoint: Organic food movement ‘shoots itself in the foot’ by rejecting CRISPR gene editing
By making rejection of technology part of their 'brand,' organic food producers may put themselves at a severe competitive disadvantage ...
Radar and robots: Can technology turn honeybees into more efficient pollinators?
According to the Bee Informed Partnership, 37.7% of managed honey bee colonies were lost during the 2018-19 winter — the ...
‘Proudly GMO’ probiotic takes aim at hangovers. Can it ease consumer fear of biotechnology?
On [August 17], a San Francisco-based start-up called ZBiotics celebrated the launch of its first product in a fitting way: ...
South Australia to lift ‘stifling’ GMO crop ban that cost farmers $33 million
The Marshall Liberal Government has [on August 19] announced farmers on mainland South Australia will be given the choice to ...
Viewpoint: Our favorite Cavendish banana may be heading towards extinction—Scientists say only a biotech solution, blocked by anti-GMO activists, can save it
Shall we just resign ourselves to the eventual demise of the banana, or take steps to save it? ...
‘Supercharged’ GMO crops could store 20 times more CO2 than average plant
Scientists are experimenting with new genetic modification technology that “supercharges” plants to enhance what they already excel at– sequestering carbon ...
Why the USDA employed taste testers to change how Americans eat
Lucy Alexander boasted one of the strangest jobs on the federal payroll. Her official title was the innocuous “chief poultry ...
Viewpoint: Why the Non-GMO Project label is little more than a marketing tool that deceives consumers
The presence of a Non-GMO Project seal of approval doesn't really tell consumers anything about their food ...
AI could help farmers cut weather-related crop losses by 25% as global food demand soars
The AI in agriculture market was valued at USD 600 million in 2018 and is expected to reach USD 2.6 ...
Following approval of GMO crops, Nigeria sets sights on other biotech advances, including gene editing and synthetic biology
Africa's most populous nation has achieved significant strides in biotechnology ...
Biotech corn with multiple GMO traits poses no threat to human health, environment, EU study confirms
Following the submission of [an] application .... from Monsanto Company (referred to hereafter as the applicant), the Panel on Genetically ...
Going vegetarian might boost your health, but probably won’t slow climate change
It pays to be a picky eater—at least, when it comes to meat. A study published ....in Scientific Reports suggests ...
Thailand, home to early crop biotech research, proposes strict GMO safety, labeling rules
Thailand has drafted a new set of regulations for comments, targeting food and food products containing or consisting of genetically ...
UK aquaculture researchers welcome Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s pro-GMO, CRISPR stance as Brexit proceeds
Some of the most progressive researchers in the UK’s aquaculture biotechnology sphere have welcomed Boris Johnson’s pledge to support the ...
GMO Impossible burger headed for grocery stores. Here’s the nutrition facts you should know
Having jumped all the appropriate FDA hurdles to ensure safety, the Impossible Burger in its uncooked form is coming to ...
Banana-destroying fungus hits South America. Is genetic engineering the solution?
A fungus that has wreaked havoc on banana plantations in the Eastern Hemisphere has, despite years of preventative efforts, arrived ...
Podcast: Food 5.0—GMOs, robots and the future of farming with agronomist Robert Saik
The high efficiency of modern agriculture has a downside: most consumers don't know the first thing about farming ...
Viewpoint: Eating organic is a ‘personal choice,’ but pricier produce won’t make you healthier
Many folks automatically assume that organic equals healthier. But have you ever wondered if the product you're most likely paying ...
Podcast: Animal-free, GMO ice cream could start a food revolution. But how does it taste?
The realm of plant-based meat substitutes has gotten a lot of buzz lately. Think the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat ...
Viewpoint: Why GMO crops are planet’s best hope for sustainability
Future crops will need to withstand conditions like climate change, low water availability, rising soil salinity, and attacks by pathogens ...
Viewpoint: Why GMOs? 1950s farming technology cannot feed the world in 2050
Up and down the aisles of the grocery store, there are an overwhelming number of packages that are labeled with ...
How the quest to bake a better banana bread helps us understand GMOs
A simple analogy can help explain how genetic modification works ...
Nigerian farmer: ‘Give us the chance to use agricultural biotech’
African farmers must be given the opportunity to use genetically modified (GM) seeds as the sure way to enhance agricultural ...
Agricultural industry split over prospects of government not regulating gene editing as part of reform of biotechnology regulations
Crop developers say USDA’s effort to streamline its regulation of biotech crops will still slow the commercialization of many gene-edited ...
140+ Mexican scientists urge president not to issue decree pushed by ‘activists, painters and chefs’ banning GMO research
Members of the academic community related to biotechnology, bioengineering, genomics and related disciplines express their concern about the possibility of ...
