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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Public wariness over GMOs rooted in “instinct” and “imperfect logic,” not science
Proponents of modern genetic food modification through biotechnology expect it to help keep civilization going by feeding people who otherwise ...
State legislatures step back to let Congress try to resolve GMO labeling standards
U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) may want to send some thank-you letters out to state legislative leaders who shut down ...
Consumer groups and businesses ask USDA to tighten GMO regulations
Dozens of consumer and food groups and businesses filed recommendations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeking tighter regulation of ...
Drought-resistant crops could mitigate water shortages and climate challenges
One of the world’s important food crops are threatened by drought but the solution lies possibly in the first step ...
A warning for science teachers? Biotech scientists and the Freedom of Information Act
A several months ago, scientists came under attack using the Freedom of Information Act. Scientist Kevin Folta tweeted this graphic that has ...
Asthma and Atopic March Syndrome caused by GMOs? Science says ‘No’
Anti-GMO activists have lumped together a lot of allergic reactions into a syndrome caused by GMOs. Asthma shows how wrong ...
Indian agricultural progress smothered by anti-GMO idealists
Genetically modified crops have better yields, are more resistant to conventional pests than organic crops, and use less fertilizer. India ...
Russia confirms GMOs won’t be used to boost agriculture
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich has announced that Russia will not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to increase productivity ...
Organic food sales driven by vilification of GMOs
It is often said that innovations create winners and losers. All innovations are somewhat disruptive, but some have more distributed ...
South African anti-GMO activists hide fact drought-tolerant maize would be royalty-free
The narrative of a poor hungry Africa makes good TV (does it?). The paradox is that for many Africans, drought ...
Biotech-enriched omega-3 soybeans could promote ocean sustainability
Omega-3 fatty oils, mainly derived from fish, are essential for nutrition. The problem is that there’s not enough fish to ...
Virus-resistant cassava could join other GMO crops in battling food insecurity and climate change
Nigel Taylor spreads apart the wilted and discolored leaves of a cassava plant. He wants us to see its sickness ...
Regulators unreasonably stifling ‘biopharmed’ life-saving drug development from genetically engineered plants
Obtaining medicines from plants is not new. Aspirin was first isolated from the bark of the willow tree in the ...
National Academy forum challenges anti-GMO claim that DNA in food ‘invades’ bloodstream
Can science self-correct to protect against sloppy or politicized research? Scientist Mary Mangan discusses the controversy over a study that ...
Debate over GMOs and other science controversies should center more in values and politics
Looking upon all the polarized rhetoric concerning vaccines, GMO crops, climate change, and processed foods one might be tempted to ...
GMO Bt cotton can increase Indian farmer bankruptcy, suicide risk, claims study
The cultivation of Bt cotton, a genetically modified, insect-resistant cotton variety, is a risky affair for Indian farmers practising rain-fed ...
Modern genetics could bring back mouth-watering strawberries
Think about the best strawberry you ever tasted. Sweet, with a flavor that’s a greater-than-the-sum mix of overripe peach, underripe ...
Plant geneticist Pamela Ronald on why organic farming can benefit from advanced genetics
Pamela Ronald is a professor at the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at UC Davis. Ronald is also the ...
Diet must change to put end to factory farming
From the look of things, you’d be correct in thinking that a revolution in food production was underway. Calls for ...
Newsmax unmasked: How scare stories are manufactured by right wing anti-GMO activists
Anti-GMO propaganda production usually emerges from leftist environmental and activist groups. But they have no peer in the pseudo-science emanating ...
What Brazil can teach Uganda about GMO crops
Brazil presents a suitable example to learn from in adoption, processing and export of Genetically Modified (GM) crops and products, ...
Seed business may radically reorganize if Monsanto-Syngenta merger goes forward
A successful attempt by Monsanto Co. to buy Syngenta AG and form an agrochemical powerhouse would prompt major rivals to ...
Ancient wheat relative Kernza resists diseases and pests without gene manipulation
Kernza’s arrival has been a long time coming. The new grain variety from the Land Institute is derived from an ...
Talking Biotech: Life-saving banana for Uganda; Grape domestication and improvement
Engineering bananas: James Dale; Genetic improvement of grapes: Sean Myles ...
Pope’s concern about GMOs is about corporate power, not safety
Needless to say, there’s a lot to explore in Pope Francis’s encyclical, “Laudato Si’ — On the Care of Our ...
Whole Foods rating system highlights hypocrisy of organic food claims
Whole Foods has concocted a rating system for produce and flowers called “Responsibly Grown.” It takes into consideration such factors ...
Is there need for clear US policy on importing GMOs?
The processes by which different countries regulate genetically modified crops vary, which can lead to billions of dollars in disrupted ...
