Sustainability/Climate Change
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Why Scotts Miracle-Gro decided to phase out neonicotinoid insecticides
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. made an unusual move last year when the company announced it would remove a class of insecticides ...
Do organic and conventional farmers use similar amounts of pesticides?
[Editor’s note: This opinion column was written by Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center. It was ...
Neil deGrasse Tyson on why we need GMOs
When it comes to food ... there is one topic that Tyson is constantly addressing: GMOs. Most recently, he discussed genetically modified ...
Golden Rice 2.0? New GM variety increases iron, zinc and vitamin A levels to combat malnutrition
ETH researchers have developed a new rice variety that not only has increased levels of the micronutrients iron and zinc ...
Republicans and Democrats agree: Modern agriculture is sustainable
[Editor's note: Mace Thornton is executive director of communications at the American Farm Bureau Federation.] A recent Morning Consult poll ...
Canadian celebrity chef Michael Smith: Debate over GMOs ‘disingenuous first world problems’
Celebrity chef Michael Smith came out in support of genetically-modified food at a consultation about Canada's Food Policy. ... "This ...
Viewpoint: Glyphosate herbicide a safe method for Pakistani farmers to fend off weeds, boost yields
It is estimated that on an average 20-30 % crop losses are attributable to weed infestation and growth in Pakistan ...
Environmentalist Stewart Brand: Opposing GMOs ‘the biggest mistake the environmental movement has ever made’
If we are serious about curbing climate change, what would actually help? More people in cities, lots of nuclear power ...
Video: How are GMO plants made?
How are genetically modified organisms (GMOs) made? Are they safe to eat? Molly heads to the Van Eck Lab at ...
Banana wilt, GMOs and Food Evolution: Behind the scenes in Uganda profiling desperate plight of poor farmers
Despite claims by anti-GMO activists who say crop biotechnology mostly benefits big corporations, African farmers and poor people are the ...
First US genetically engineered tree, freeze-tolerant eucalyptus, near approval—but opponents claim environmental concerns
A genetically engineered, freeze-tolerant eucalyptus tree is moving closer to receiving approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, amid concerns ...
Monsanto barred university researchers from testing ‘drift’ of its new dicamba herbicide — now accused of damaging crops
New versions of the herbicide dicamba developed by Monsanto and BASF, according to farmers, have drifted across fields to crops ...
FDA questions safety of Impossible Burger’s veggie patties made with genetically engineered yeast
One of the chief selling points of the Impossible Burger, a much ballyhooed plant-based burger patty, is its resemblance to ...
Did the National Cancer Institute withhold data showing no links between glyphosate and cancer?
The chairman of a congressional committee has asked the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explain why its National ...
Why do consumers prefer organic to conventional produce when both use pesticides?
What gets overlooked by [activist] groups are the reports from the USDA itself that show that even organic foods have ...
Conventional and biotech breeding methods together could revive the American chestnut tree
American chestnuts once dominated the Eastern woodlands. They were beautiful, tall trees with wide canopies and large white flowers. ...
Ecomodernist podcast: Food Evolution film about ‘confirmation bias’ in foodie and anti-GMO community
One of the more surprising reactions to the documentary--and disappointing to scientists--came from organic and agroecology supporters who called it ...
Ancient corn genome could unlock secrets of crop diversity and adaptation
[Kelly Swarts, a quantitative geneticist, and her] team sequenced the genomes of fifteen 1,900-year-old maize cobs found in [a Utah ...
Central bee health threat—Varroa mite parasite—may be manageable using oregano oil
The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor is responsible for the death of millions of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies worldwide. Testing ...
Could vertical farming revolutionize agriculture?
Plenty is no ordinary farm. Instead of growing greens outdoors, the farm grows its food on glowing, LED-lit 20-foot-tall towers inside ...
Genetically engineered coral might bring bleached coral reefs back to life
A coral reef takes thousands of years to build, yet can vanish in an instant. The culprit is usually coral ...
Census shows monarch butterfly population not in decline, but scientists challenge findings, blaming milkweed loss
Monarch butterfly populations have taken a nosedive over the last 20 years, according to researchers who monitor the number of ...
Dannon embraces controversial Non-GMO label for all its products, claiming ‘transparency’
By the end of 2018, all Danimals, Dannon and Oikos branded products for sale in the U.S. will feature the ...
Viewpoint: Greenpeace, environmental activists spread misinformation on honeybees and pesticides
Bloomberg reports some good news: Honeybee hive health has improved and so-called colony collapse disorder (CCD) is less of a problem ...
Why hobby beekeepers may present the biggest threat to honeybee health
The much-publicized decline of the nation’s honeybee population is greatly exaggerated, according to the organizers of a new [Indiana] beekeeping ...
Viewpoint: Why the FDA should not be regulating genetically engineered animals (as drugs, no less)
[Editor's note: Henry Miller is founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology. John Cohrssen is former counsel to the White ...
Epigenetics Around the Web: Should farmers use vinegar, instead of genetically engineered solutions, to protect crops from drought?
A new study being peddled by anti-GMO activists suggests that table vinegar may be equal or superior to advanced breeding ...
