Featured in Weekly Newsletter
We’re unlikely to cure Alzheimer’s with CRISPR. But the gene-editing tool could play a crucial role.
Nearly 6 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease without solid treatment options ...
Viewpoint: Our favorite Cavendish banana may be heading towards extinction—Scientists say only a biotech solution, blocked by anti-GMO activists, can save it
Shall we just resign ourselves to the eventual demise of the banana, or take steps to save it? ...
Viewpoint: Why the Non-GMO Project label is little more than a marketing tool that deceives consumers
The presence of a Non-GMO Project seal of approval doesn't really tell consumers anything about their food ...
Following approval of GMO crops, Nigeria sets sights on other biotech advances, including gene editing and synthetic biology
Africa's most populous nation has achieved significant strides in biotechnology ...
Podcast: Francis Galton: Brilliant scientist—and eugenics pioneer. How do we address his racist legacy?
Geneticist Dr Kat Arney explores how Francis Galton's eugenic ideas led directly to some of the 20th century's worst atrocities ...
Podcast: Has sickle cell disease met its match in CRISPR gene editing?
Dr. Brenda Eustace, director of discovery research at Vertex, joins plant geneticist Kevin Folta to discuss this promising treatment ...
Viewpoint: Why science hasn’t given us a cure for cancer: We’re still ‘trying to understand it’
Each permutation of cancer requires a different approach, therapy, or method of management ...
How a one-time CRISPR shot could obliterate lower back pain
CRISPR may be able to block back pain by dampening the immune system’s cytokine signals ...
Podcast: Food 5.0—GMOs, robots and the future of farming with agronomist Robert Saik
The high efficiency of modern agriculture has a downside: most consumers don't know the first thing about farming ...
Viewpoint: Pouring greed on an ethical fire—Questionable ‘litigation finance’ scam funds glyphosate-cancer lawsuit mill
Greed is being poured on an ethical fire ...
‘GMOs are banned in Europe’ and 3 other popular biotech crop myths busted
“What do you wish people knew about GMOs that would completely surprise them?" ...
Why this attempt to cure an inherited form of blindness with CRISPR is so important
The time has come to see if the promises of CRISPR as a therapeutic tool hold true ...
Viewpoint: Why GMO crops are planet’s best hope for sustainability
Future crops will need to withstand conditions like climate change, low water availability, rising soil salinity, and attacks by pathogens ...
Tired all the time? Searching for genetic links to chronic fatigue syndrome
The hard-to-define and hard-to-diagnose condition continues to baffle researchers searching for its root causes -- and potential treatments ...
We have a marijuana shortage. Bioengineered yeast could solve that problem.
Yeast are the linchpin of the beer and wine markets. So why not marijuana? ...
How the quest to bake a better banana bread helps us understand GMOs
A simple analogy can help explain how genetic modification works ...
Why efforts to contain Ebola through experimental vaccines could change Uganda’s opposition to GMO crops
Uganda appears to be in a stalemate over genetically-engineered crops. Could Ebola change that? ...
Glimpse into the future? 2029 ‘press release’ touts services for designer babies
In the future, parents may have the option to genetically engineer their children, and now is the time to discuss ...
DNA, fruit flies and the quest to treat cancer with precision medicine
"Cancer therapy is becoming customized to each patient." ...
The ‘magic mix’ of ingredients responsible for the Impossible Burger’s taste and texture
The actual science behind the Impossible Burger is fascinating ...
Probiotics may help humans stay healthy. Could they benefit other animals, too?
Researchers eye microbes as a tool for fighting disease epidemics in bats, frogs, corals and more ...
Creating Superman (and woman): Who benefits from human enhancement?
Using genetic modification, nanotechnology, bionics, reconstructive surgery, hormones, drugs or any combination of these approaches, real-life human enhancement is looking ...
Milkweed: Mother’s milk for monarch butterflies, but yield-robbing weed for farmers
Can we encourage a resurgence in butterfly-friendly milkweed populations without making farming even more challenging? ...
Why don’t we live longer? Because evolution is more concerned with helping us produce healthy children
How the force of selection diminishes over time ...
Podcast: Glyphosate, cancer and ‘corporate conspiracies’–“Regulatory capture” by anti-science activists in the Roundup controversy
Our useful threat-detection instinct has been warped into a serious handicap as we attempt to evaluate risks to our health ...
Cure for AIDS/HIV? Temper expectations.
As we seek an outright cure for HIV/AIDS, our hope should be grounded in reality ...
‘Why did I get cancer?’ We can do more to alleviate ‘angst, guilt’ accompanying a diagnosis
More time spent explaining the biology of cancer to patients can help alleviate angst and guilt. ...
