Agriculture Spotlight
Fate of Florida oranges rests on whether activists succeed in debasing GM debate
In a journalistic tour de force, New York Times reporter Amy Harmon offers a thoughtful deconstruction of how politics and ...
Hawaii science ‘Swat Team’ engages public fears fanned by anti-GMO activists
Hawaii is in the crosshairs of anti-GMO campaigners. Two bills—one on Kauai and another on the Big Island—are being debated ...
Can genome research on the palm tree help save endangered rainforests?
Scientists hope to use genomic knowledge to grow better trees that can yield more oil and reduce pressure on the ...
Is FDA’s review process for GE animals fit for its purpose?
To explore whether the regulatory process in question is fit for its purpose, the Food & Drug Law Institute's Food ...
USDA debuts streamlined regulatory process for GM crops
A new regulatory new process allows the USDA to deregulate crops with GE traits that have already been approved in ...
Bill 79: Stifle biotech and Hawaiian agriculture will suffer
Can biotechnology help Hawaiian coffee beat the coffee berry borer -- not if anti-biotech activists have their way ...
Grist: Does the “little difference” between GE and traditional breeding matter?
The interpretation of what “a little” means for perception of risk, and for public policy, varies wildly depending on people’s ...
It’s time to play God with our food
There future of food may hold some hybrid of organic and genetically modified techniques, if we're ready for it ...
‘Natural food’ fallacy: “Waiter, there’s a gene in my soup!”
Plant biotechnologist Jimmy Botella busts the naturalistic fallacy and reveals the reality of our "unnatural" natural food supply ...
Crops that can genetically modify their pests
Imagine a future in which genetically engineered plants are able to genetically engineer -- and thereby defeat -- their own ...
Natural products industry conflicted over GM labelling
The trade groups in the natural products industry often collaborate, advocating for the same or similar policies on Capitol Hill, ...
Biotech ups food production, won’t feed world alone
Biotech's focus on increasing food production ignores the fact that mass hunger exists alongside a huge surplus ...
Farmers’ fear of Monsanto no basis for lawsuit
Farmers attempting to preemptively sue Monsanto lost their case: irrational fear of a patent holder is insufficient to support declaratory ...
What’s the value of an “organic” label?
Supermarkets in North America and Europe are overflowing with organic-labelled fruit, vegetables, eggs and meats but consumers willing to pay ...
Grist: Genetic engineering versus natural breeding?
With a full understanding of the science, is genetic engineering really all that different than traditional breeding ...
Judge to FDA: Decide whether GMOs belong in “natural” products
Lawyers argue that it's time for the FDA determine this matter once and for all, so such cases stop "needlessly ...
Biotech innovations rescuing near extinct American chestnut tree
Rival biotechnologists race to use genetic engineering to bring back the American chestnut tree ...
Call to action: Grist reevaluates crop biotechnology; It’s time the rest of journalism does too
Grist is taking a bold step in reevaluating its anti-GE stance. It's the latest in many milestones for reason and ...
The precautionary principle is out-of-step with the modern world
In place of informed, real-world choices that include the potential implications of both doing something and not doing it, the ...
Japan’s harsh reaction to GM wheat rooted in culture and history
Why did Japan react so quickly and decisively (by suspending imports) to the discovery of unapproved GM wheat in Oregon? ...
Open-source GM: Separating Monsanto from modification
Open-source GMOs will "help fight climate change and stick one in Monsanto’s eye." ...
Monsanto wants to help honeybees fight mites with biotech
A new weapon in that fight to save honeybees could be RNA molecules that kill a troublesome parasite by disrupting ...
Will European GM regulations survive new trade negotiations?
The EU's strict regulations on GM foods may be endangered in EU-US trade negotiations due to America's comparatively less stringent ...
Eco-zealots want you to believe eating GM crops is dining with the devil
The Daily Mail offers a thorough summary of the GM issue, in particular its contentiousness in the UK ...
Roseanne Barr Effect: Should crop biotechnology supporters engage science rejectionists?
Evidence shows that the more informed a person is the more entrenched their views become. What, then, is the best ...
Australia/New Zealand food regulators challenge Carman anti-GMO pig study, endorse GM corn and soy
Regulators Australia/New Zealand have added their voice to mainstream scientists around the world challenging the Carman pig study as "junk ...
Anti-biotech activists would the let Hawaiian papaya go the way of the Dodo
In the 80s, Hawaii's papaya crop was almost wiped out by the ringspot virus. Today the crop thrives because most ...
