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.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
The never-ending GMO debate: Pros and cons
According to the Genetic Literacy Project, “The most recent data from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) ...
Viewpoint: Toxic chemicals in tampons? Unpacking the latest environmental activist group hysteria claim
The chatter about chemicals in tampons isn’t exactly a new thing; it’s more like a rerun of a series that ...
Food-borne illnesses are a growing problem. CRISPR-based biosensing may be key to food safety
The availability of safe food is crucial for maintaining both nutritional well-being and overall health security. Estimates indicate that 1 in 10 people ...
GLP spaces on X: Ice cream sales boost drowning risk? Confusing correlation and causation yields strange – and often harmful – results
Ice cream sales and drownings increase significantly during summer. Although these two outcomes are closely connected, they probably occur in ...
Viewpoint: The health and environmental impacts of glyphosate
A federal reckoning over glyphosate is imminent as the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement gains a foothold with Secretary ...
Organic farming acreage in the U.S. is in steep decline
[A]merica’s certified organic acreage fell almost 11% between 2019 and 2021. Numerous farmers who implement sustainable practices told The Associated ...
The latest gene edited crop: Oats with higher yields, more fiber and climate change resilient
For the first time, scientists have successfully edited oat DNA, a breakthrough that could accelerate the development of oats with ...
Chemicals in food packaging is an increasing health threat
A research study, published in the Nature Medicine journal, explores the health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food. The scientists identify ...
Viewpoint: Here’s why farmers use pesticides like atrazine and glyphosate—and why they are safe
Corn growers need access to all types of pesticides. [Glyphosate was] developed more than 50 years ago to control a ...
Why the right is rushing to ban lab grown meat that could save tens of billions of animals every year
Unlike plant-based meat substitutes like the Impossible Burger, lab-grown meat consists of actual animal tissue, but made without slaughtering animals ...
Viewpoint: ‘Kenya must balance GMO adoption against concerns about environmental impact and preserving traditional farming
Officials are urging Kenyans to trust science and embrace GMO benefits, but Kenya must proceed with caution. GMO foods are ...
Viewpoint: Are you a ‘culinary criminal’ for eating a hot dog?
Nothing says spring as much as cherry blossoms or opening day in Major League Baseball. For many fans, attending a ...
MAHA is anti-corporate and chemophobic; Farming in the U.S. is the opposite. What will give?
Efforts to secure statutory immunity from liability for personal injuries caused by pesticides have converged with massive increases in federal ...
Viewpoint: Challenging the FDA to closely regulate unreviewed chemicals in our food
Although a comprehensive fix to the “Generally Recognized” standard will require legislation from Congress, there are significant steps the FDA ...
When European politicians and ‘experts’ debate the future of farming, they listen to everyone but farmers
Georges Clemenceau once said war was too important to be left to the generals. Today, in Brussels, agriculture is too ...
Trump administration’s schizophrenic farm policy
Independent and organic farmers say chaos created by the Trump administration’s cuts has hurt their businesses, even as the US health secretary, Robert F ...
Viewpoint: How media coverage has undermined support for cultivated ‘clean’ meat
Is cultivated meat ‘real meat’? Does it pose any benefits? Is it an inevitable, necessary marker of change to the ...
Iran uses nuclear technology to produce drought-resistant rice
This rice variety was obtained through targeted mutagenesis methods and originated from the popular local native variety Tarom. Key features ...
GLP spaces on X: Bioweapons on the farm? Bad agriculture policy could be as harmful as bioterrorism
Earlier this month, two Chinese nationals were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum, a toxic fungus that infects important food crops, ...
Viewpoint: ‘I’m a mom and a farmer. Here’s why it’s safe to use pesticides
In addition to the title of mom, I also have the title of farmer, giving me firsthand experiences and understanding ...
Climate change challenge: How to ‘future proof’ crops
In a review in The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, Stephen Long, a professor of crop sciences and of plant biology at ...
Under its year old regulation, Canada has yet to approve a gene edited animal for human consumption. U.S. approved pig is a test
The approval in the United States for food use of pigs gene edited to resist Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, ...
AI can read plant DNA. That could transform agriculture and help feed the world
Plant DNA has become a frontier for artificial intelligence, with large language models turning genetic sequences into interpretable content for ...
Do microplastics pose a threat to food and farming on a global scale?
Microplastics are hindering photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert energy from the sun into the fruit and vegetables we ...
Challenging the ‘multi-billion dollar fear-and-smear campaign against genetically-engineered crops’
Because most of society is between two and six generations removed from farming, to many people that subject is largely ...
Precise ‘genetic tailoring’ of plant genomes addresses critical challenges in food security and sustainability
Simplifying the complexity of genome editing is essential to prevent misunderstandings and counter misinformation propagated by certain interest groups that ...
Viewpoint: What would be the consequences if we moved from conventional, tech-advanced farming to organic?
Close your eyes and imagine grocery stores where produce costs triple, with a sparse selection and visible insect damage. This ...
