Featured in Newsletter
Viewpoint: We have much to gain from questioning the theory that humans evolved in Africa
The African origin theory reigns supreme. Every attempt to disprove the theory offers a chance to consider the evidence all ...
‘Boneless watermelons’? What this new ‘hot fruit’ can teach us about non-GMO labels and fear-based marketing
Nowadays labels extol the absence of something that never was there in the first place. Such marketing schemes manipulate the ...
From GMOs to CRISPR: Making sense of how genetic engineering tweaks nature
Many new genetic engineering techniques have been stumbled upon by accident. Studying how bacteria defend themselves has led to CRISPR ...
Fertility clinic meltdown: What happens when slumbering eggs are awakened early
Fragile spindle apparatuses are an integral part to embryonic growth. What happened to embryo structures when they were thawed and ...
Viewpoint: Will the crop biotechnology revolution pass Nigeria by?
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is creating a new era, fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds. Breakthroughs in different fields ...
Viewpoint: How Germany’s anti-GMO, pro-organic politics benefit US ag companies
Editor's note: The following is a satirical letter written by Reinhard Szibor, professor emeritus of human genetics and forensic medicine at the ...
Facing extreme danger, are you ‘wired’ to fight or take flight?
"Fight or flight" reactions are much more complicated than we were taught in school. That fact has implications for reacting ...
Modern Victor Frankenstein? What synthetic biologists can learn from the classic cautionary tale
Mary Shelley was 20 when she published “Frankenstein” in 1818. Two hundred years on, the book remains thrilling, challenging and ...
How ‘open source’ seed producers from the US to India are changing global food production
Around the world, plant breeders are resisting what they see as corporate control of the food supply by making seeds ...
Did the EPA and Monsanto conspire to hide glyphosate’s health risks?
A recent op-ed in the Sacramento Bee repeated the debunked conspiracy theory that Monsanto manipulated the EPA to hide evidence ...
Why the body’s response to pregnancy may help us better understand cancer
Cancer cells and placental cells regulate the immune system in remarkably similar ways. We can learn a great deal by ...
Space astronaut twin’s DNA ‘changed’? How some reports botched the story, and what we really know
When the Today Show reported on March 15 that the DNA of Scott Kelly, who spent a year on the ...
Far more toxic than glyphosate: Copper sulfate, used by organic and conventional farmers, cruises to European reauthorization
Over the past months, the European Union and several member nations have vigorously debated re-authorizing glyphosate, the herbicide maligned by ...
Fertility quest: How technology has fueled quantum leaps
Nanotech, artificial intelligence, wearables and biological engineering are among the new high tech ways to knock you up, stop your ...
Viewpoint: Unlikely alliance between environmentalists, farmers and big ag companies aims to improve soil health
Here are three startling facts about the planet Earth: It currently hosts seven and a half billion people. Its carrying ...
Should we worry about trace pesticides on fruits and vegetables?
An anti-GMO funded study promoted by Vani Hari--Food Babe--that found parts per billion trace residues of the herbicide glyphosate in ...
Here’s what potential Mars colonists really need from Earth: A large gene pool
Establishment of a Mars colony will depend on genetic diversity, meaning we must send tens of thousands of colonists ...
Waaa! How do babies experience pain?
Researchers continue to look for ways to assess the pain experienced by babies. One recent study suggests that babies are ...
Europe missed out on GMO biotech revolution. What’s going to happen with gene editing?
As a plant geneticist in Europe, I must carefully pick my way through some of the most onerous constraints to ...
Viewpoint: Devastating flu season reminds us about the danger of vaccine skepticism
The 2017-2018 flu season is being called the worst since 2009 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and ...
Viewpoint: Gene editing poised to revolutionize agriculture—if we can fix biotech regulations
In his speech at the recent American Farm Bureau convention, President Trump said his administration was "streamlining regulations that have blocked cutting-edge ...
Good and potentially bad about FDA’s greenlighting of 23andMe direct-to-consumer BRCA mutation tests
News that consumers will soon be able to purchase a genetic test for three BRCA mutations may seem like déjà ...
Uganda’s researchers ready to taste test their GMO vitamin A-enriched banana
The East African cooking banana is one of the major food crops eaten by the people living in central Uganda ...
Supercharged brains and the quest to think better and faster
For those seeking to enhance cognitive function based on hard evidence, the starting point is worked aimed at improving mental ...
From GMO hater to biotechnology advocate: One person’s Facebook journey
An anti-GMO, pro-organic mom became a staunch defender of modern agriculture following a social media encounter that prompted her to ...
Are humans genetically loaded for extinction?
Genetic load--the idea that we've had too many mutations to thrive--is making a comeback. A debate's brewing over whether it's ...
Digitizing DNA: Real reasons to worry about cyberbiosecurity
The intersection between biology and digital technology opens the door for incredible discoveries, but also creates opportunities for dangerous events, ...
