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.
Genetically engineered poplar trees, switchgrass could lead to more efficient biofuels
A research team led by the University of Georgia has discovered that manipulation of the same gene in poplar trees ...
Biotech startup Indigo Ag aims to upend agriculture with microbiology
[David Perry, CEO of Indigo Ag, an agricultural-technology startup headquartered in Boston] sees an opportunity for Indigo Ag to lead ...
Can insect-resistant GMO Bt corn help Kenya fight crop pests and climate change?
Elizabeth Nduku, a smallholder maize farmer in [Kenya], is dejected. Her crop is worse off than the previous seasons. This ...
Viewpoint: Science-based biotech regulations could unlock a new agricultural revolution
The discovery of DNA and new developments in information and nanotechnology provide the foundation for a new agricultural revolution that ...
Sustainable ‘superfish’: AquaBounty’s genetically engineered salmon poised to counter overfishing
At current rates, according to a 2006 article in the journal Science, the world will run out of all wild-caught fish ...
USDA data confirm organic yields significantly lower than with conventional farming
Government data comparing yields of organic vs. conventional farms finds a sharp yield edge for conventional on more than 84 ...
Why a global decline in genetic crop variety matters for the future of food
Preserving the genetic diversity of edible plants could help us develop new crop varieties, with useful traits such as drought ...
‘Jean editing’: Genetically engineered bacteria could reduce denim’s environmental impact
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are trying to make the process of making blue jeans greener, by engineering ...
Chocolate producers look to CRISPR gene editing to help cacao trees adapt to climate change
With the help of a suite of genetic engineering tools including CRISPR — and money from Mars Inc., one of the world’s ...
German coalition pledges GMO ban, phase out of glyphosate, expansion of organic farming
Germany’s draft coalition deal includes a goal of ending use of the weed-killer glyphosate within the country but gives no ...
Managed honey bees can harm wild pollinator species
There is widespread concern about the global decline in pollinators and the associated loss of pollination services. This concern is ...
Neonicotinoid insecticide may increase honeybee survival when manure bacteria is present, lab study finds
Recent studies of honeybees and bumblebees have examined combinatory effects of different stressors, as insect pollinators are naturally exposed to ...
Consumers more concerned about GMO crops’ environmental impact than health worries, German study finds
[H]ealth risks were generally perceived to be lower for bioenergy than food whenever full commercialization was pursued. Furthermore, full commercialization ...
Super bananas and red-fleshed apples: Under-the-radar GMO wonder foods
Thanks to GM crops, farmers have been able to upscale production of vital crops to feed our growing world. It ...
Why approved Chinese-developed GMO rice that boosts yields, reduces pesticide use not available to country’s farmers, consumers
In 2009, two insect-resistant genetically modified rice lines (Huahui-1 and Bt-Shanyou -63) were granted biosafety certificates by the Ministry of ...
Animal breeders are blocked worldwide from using genetic engineering. Here’s why.
Stringent regulations have made it almost impossible for GE animals to be approved for sale in the US. It took ...
Time-lapse video: Gene-silenced non-browning Arctic Apple vs conventional fruit
It can sometimes be a challenge to demonstrate the impact of the non-browning trait. But seeing is believing, so take ...
Will Australian stores’ removal of household neonicotinoid products help bees?
Katja Hogendoorn is a native bee expert and Research Associate within the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the ...
Growth in urban beekeeping hurting wild bees
The rise in amateur beekeepers keeping hives on roofs and gardens is contributing to the decline of wild bees, Cambridge ...
The Wizard and the Prophet: Norman Borlaug vs William Vogt on science, environmentalism and human progress
Feeding the ever-growing number of people on the planet is hard enough, without having to adapt to a rapidly changing climate at ...
Beepocalypse myth busting: Honey bees, not wild species, key for crop pollination—and they’re doing fine
Like GMOs and vaccines, misinformation is rife on the topic of bees. Fearmongers warn of a coming "Beepocalypse." The media ...
Some large Australian supermarket chains removing neonicotinoid insecticides from shelves, citing bee health concerns
Woolworths in Australia has joined a growing list of companies to stop supplying a controversial pesticide linked to global declines in ...
USDA Organic board proposes approving new chemicals, removing Rotenone, for use in organic farming
Most consumers don’t know much about it, but for the $50 billion organic marketplace, it’s all about the details. And ...
New Zealand garden centers continue selling neonicotinoid insecticides, won’t follow Bunnings’ lead
Kiwi garden centres will not immediately follow hardware giant Bunnings' lead and stop selling controversial pesticides said to harm bees ...
Preventing GMO gene flow: Scientists design synthetic species that can’t breed with wild counterparts
Genetically modified organisms could potentially do a lot of good for the world, like ending the spread of diseases, or maybe ...
As climate heats up, can drought-tolerant GMO crops help prevent famine and conflict?
When most of us think about the threats posed by climate change, events like floods, droughts, intense storms and hotter ...
Hardware chain Bunnings Warehouse pulls neonicotinoid insecticides over bee health concerns
A controversial pesticide allegedly linked to bee deaths will be pulled from [Australian, New Zealand, and UK hardware store chain] Bunnings' ...
