Agriculture & 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.
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National Organic Standards Board wants USDA to exclude new gene-editing techniques
To protect organic crops and products form the “incursion” of rapidly developing genetic engineering, the National Organic Standards Board voted ...
Harvard’s Cass Sunstein questions how USDA will justify cost of GMO labeling
In a forthcoming paper, Harvard Law School Professor and former OIRA Administrator Cass Sunstein argues that USDA will face a significant challenge in presenting the ...
While safety of herbicide glyphosate is clear, doubts fueled by WHO’s IARC undermines trust in science
Most regulators around the world have concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. But one agency disagrees. The International ...
Computer scientist Stephanie Seneff’s latest bizarre claim: GMOs cause concussions
[Stephanie Seneff] is a computer scientist..... In a stunning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, she feels she can take her computer expertise ...
Data analytics could increase agricultural productivity, sustainability
Twenty years from now, the most important tool for putting food on your table won’t be a harvester, combine or ...
Brexit may open the door for British farmers to grow genetically modified crops
Brexit may open the door for British farmers to grow genetically modified crops, according to plans being drawn up by ...
Proposal to ban GMOs in animal feed could cost Germany over $10 billion
[Editor's note: The excerpt was translated from the original German by Google translate and lightly edited for clarity.] [The Manager ...
American Council on Science and Health fact sheet in response to GMO, biotechnology critics
Recently, a concerned group of pro-science scholars contacted American Council on Science and Health because they wanted to counter the ...
Curtailing use of herbicides on corn could lead to sizable increase in fungal contamination
Environmental and economic issues affect decision-making for whether or not to control small infestations of pests and pathogens in crops ...
GMOs and carbon fixation: Trapping CO2 in engineered plants and trees to convert it to energy
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may outgrow Frankenfood production. Soon, they may take over Frankenfixation, the industrial conversion of atmospheric carbon ...
Global farmers criticize Hakim’s NY Times GMO article, list crop biotech sustainability benefits
I don’t tell reporters at the New York Times how to write their articles. Maybe they should consider not telling ...
Hawaii counties cannot impose local safety bans on GMOs and pesticides, federal court rules
Monsanto, Syngenta and other seed companies that farm in Hawaii won a significant victory after a federal appeals court ruled ...
Talking Biotech: Florida’s Kevin Folta debunks claims of glyphosate in food; Oregon State’s Shaun Townsend uses genetics to breed more flavorful beer hops
Florida’s Kevin Folta debunks glyphosate in food claims; Oregon State’s Shaun Townsend uses genetics to breed more flavorful beer hops ...
Iowa farmer challenges activist Vandana Shiva after ‘myth-filled’ anti-GMO lecture
The philosopher-trained critic of technological innovation spoke at Drake University last week. Unlike what usually happens at public events where ...
Myth-busting site Snopes judges Food Babe’s ‘shocking report’ of glyphosate in food “FALSE”
CLAIM: A new analysis of the residue on common American foods showed high levels of the herbicide glyphosate and Monsanto, ...
Could genetic tinkering with plant photosynthesis increase global food supply?
A decade ago, agricultural scientists at the University of Illinois suggested a bold approach to improve the food supply: tinker ...
Genetically tweaking plants’ sunscreens to boost crop yields
Just because plants photosynthesize doesn't mean they can't get a form of sunburn—damage caused by overexposure to light. That's why ...
Gene studies show coffee is no magic elixir for many diseases but does provide some unique health benefits
Observationally, coffee is inversely associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), depression and Alzheimer’s disease, but not ischemic heart disease ...
What are the benefits and concerns about GMOs?
As the population increases, there is an ever-greater need for increases in crop yields on the same amount of land ...
India poised to greenlight GM mustard, but skeptics could still derail it
It can increase yield by a third, and put up to Rs 500 crore ($150 million) in farmers’ pockets. However, ...
3-D printed biotechnology tool can grow herbs, berries and plants
Scientists see the CellPod incubator as a new way for consumers to produce their own food at home. To grow ...
Food Evolution movie tackles controversial history of GMOs
Many people believe that genetically modified food (GMOs) can cause a host of diseases and disorders such as alzheimer’s, autism, ...
New Zealand would benefit from GMO-organic co-existence
AgResearch scientists have developed a genetically modified (GM) ryegrass that has a 40 per cent increase in production and a ...
Nigeria poised to become Africa’s GMO superpower, overcoming NGO scare campaigns
Africa's largest country and economy is focused on reviving its once thriving agricultural sector. It has five genetically engineered crops ...
US grain groups call for update of ‘incoherent’ international Coordinated Framework biotech regulations
A proposed update of the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology falls far short of changes needed with regard ...
Mars candy to publish genetic maps to improve nutrition from traditional African crops
A multi-million dollar research group co-founded by the confectionery company Mars is set to publish the genetic maps to five traditional ...
British oilseed rape farmers face beetle infestation after government rejects neonics emergency request
In light of the rejection of their emergency use application last spring to use neonicotinoid seed dressings on autumn oilseed ...
