Daily Food & Ag Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of agricultural and food issues, including the GMO debate, conventional and organic farming, regulations, new breeding technologies and sustainability. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Glyphosate on trial: After three straight wins by people claiming weedkiller caused their cancers, large investor urges company to reconsider settlements
A California jury on October 30 found Bayer liable in a case brought by a man who claimed his cancer was ...
The first GMO was developed 50 years ago this November. Here are 8 key milestones in agriculture and medicine since
Half a century ago, the first genetically modified organism ushered in a new era of biological innovation. To mark this ...
China is the world’s top importer of soy and corn. Could dozens of recently-approved GMO varieties help boost production and curb imports?
China has approved dozens of genetically modified corn and soybean seed varieties for planting, in a breakthrough move that could ...
Animal fat texture and taste is extremely hard to replicate in plant-based meat. Here’s how next-gen alt meat companies are responding
Replicating fats in plant-based meat is an important part of getting its texture right. A range of ingredients, including a ...
It’s become axiomatic that the ability to eat meat helped spur development of intelligence in early humans. Let’s reassess
Modern man is a born meat eater, they reason, as a glance at human history shows. What's more, the mastery ...
Reishi, chaga, lion’s mane: Is it possible to verify trendy ‘superfood’ mushroom supplement claims?
Recent studies have shown that mushrooms are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and special compounds that are great for your ...
How China’s GMO rice is making salinated land arable for cotton and other seasonal crops
On the rim of Xinjiang’s desert, in a region where the soil is so salty that most vegetation refuses to ...
Glyphosate legal update: After winning 9 straight cases in defense of Roundup, Bayer ordered to pay $175 million to former weed sprayer who contracted cancer
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury on [October 27] delivered a $175 million verdict against the maker of Roundup weed ...
Pumpkins against poverty: How this drought-tolerant fruit might prove to be sustainable boon in developing world
Pumpkins are an ideal plant for water insecure regions due to their tolerance of drought. Given their ability to withstand less water and ...
COP28: Farming is major part of agenda at this global climate crisis conference
Greenhouse gas emissions from farming and the land use change that often accompanies it, such as clearing forests and drying ...
Plant-to-plant communication: Trees can warn each other of impending danger. Here’s how
Real trees on our Earth can communicate and warn each other of danger — and a new study explains how ...
Lab-grown meat could cost the same as animal meat by 2030. Will that sway grocery shoppers?
Lab-grown meat could see a significant decrease in price if it continues its current trajectory, potentially matching conventional meat costs ...
Viewpoint: 200 million Africans are chronically malnourished and 5 million die of hunger each year. The continent can’t rely on agroecology alone
A report by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) indicates that despite a decade of pro-growth and ...
Viewpoint: ‘Those who want to improve standards of living and care for the environment should be appalled by GMO restrictions around the world’
The global controversy over genetically modified organisms is a classic bootleggers and Baptists story. Activists who mistakenly believe that GMOs are ...
Fabric of the future: This leather-like jacket is made of bacteria fed on fruit waste
What do you get when you feed bacteria with industrial fruit waste? “A yellow leather jacket” might not be your ...
Disease-resistant chickens? Gene-editing technology has potential to eradicate avian flu
A historic pandemic continues to rage, and it isn’t getting the attention it deserves given the virus’s toll. The outbreak ...
Background mutations: Why CRISPR-edited genes have to work together with thousands of naturally-evolved genes
For tens of thousands of years, evolution shaped tomatoes through natural mutations. Then, humans came along. For centuries, we’ve bred ...
Precision probiotics: Can this anti-hangover drink help you metabolize alcohol quicker?
Spoiler alert: Hangover ‘cures’ don’t work, observes Dr. Zachary Abbott. If you’ve overindulged the night before, Gatorade, herbal remedies and ...
Can Nigeria reach food security without genetically modified crops?
For Nigeria to attain food sufficiency to feed its current population of over 212 million people and reduce its overreliance ...
Disease-resistant gene-edited pigs could help revolutionize animal farming. Will consumers accept them?
When Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), as it became known, was discovered in the early 1990s, it was named, ...
‘Europe is already late to the party’ when it comes to recognizing economic and strategic importance of agricultural biotech. Here’s an urgent argument for change
European Union lawmakers are being urged to avoid too much risk aversion from holding back the potential of the homegrown biotech ...
Crop biotechnology: Is misinformation still winning?
The journal GM Crops and Food has begun posting a collection of invited papers on “GM Narratives and Misinformation.” ...
Ocean-bound fish farms are increasingly unsustainable. Land-based salmon farms can address environmental challenges
Salmon is the second-most-popular seafood in the United States, where the average American consumes more than three pounds a year ...
‘Win for science’ as French court dismisses defamation lawsuit by anti-GMO scientist Seralini
In a major victory for science, a French court on 17 October dismissed a defamation lawsuit by the notorious French ...
Viewpoint: Plant-based meats are too expensive for consumers to seriously consider
We need to transform our food systems in the next few decades. In most countries, meat consumption is still growing ...
EU-banned neonicotinoid sulfoxaflor does not harm bumblebees, concludes field-realistic independent British university study
A pesticide banned for outdoor use by the EU could be less harmful to bees than had been thought. This ...
Why do we love to eat rich, fatty foods?
Rich, high-fat foods such as ice cream are loved not only for their taste, but also for the physical sensations they ...
