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?
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Synthetic biology may be the only way to survive and thrive on Mars and beyond
A field known as synthetic biology has become one of the most highly anticipated in science. Its outputs range from ...
Viewpoint: U.K. poised to approve the Precision Breeding Act, reverse 25 years of science rejectionism
I served more than two decades ago as a Minister at the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) ...
Viewpoint: In response to Conservative critics, Iowa is dumbing down school curriculum science standards
Iowa’s current draft of its K-12 science standards, which include changing the word “evolution” to “biological change over time” drew ...
Viewpoint: Despite global risk agencies declaring glyphosate safe, tort lawyer attacks raise concerns about the future of the herbicide and its manufacturer, Bayer
In a quiet but seismic signal to the global agri-food industry, Bayer is warning it may halt the production of ...
![Viewpoint: Why does ‘Big Organic’ oppose hydroponics and other sustainable farming innovations? [Hint: $$$]](https://geneticliteracyproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-27-at-10.52.43 PM-263x129.png)
Viewpoint: Why does ‘Big Organic’ oppose hydroponics and other sustainable farming innovations? [Hint: $$$]
I get pitches for stories every day and sometimes I want to see if the world that opposes science has ...
Animals have developed a mind-boggling variety of ways to become male or female.
[S]o far, researchers have uncovered a dizzying array of exceptions to the XX/XY “rule:” birds and butterflies that use the ZW system, in ...
Nugget size ‘clean meat’ chunks of chicken with natural texture could revolutonize food, medicine and drug development
Scientists have grown a nugget-sized piece of chicken using a new method that can deliver nutrients and oxygen to artificial ...
Off-patent chemistry: Financially strapped American farmers switching to generic crop chemicals
U.S. farmers struggling with slumping incomes and depressed grain prices have been switching to cheaper generic pesticides and fungicides as ...
Viewpoint: Organic or intensive agriculture? Brazil reframes the debate over the most promising future for farming
It's the year 2050, and the world's population has just passed 9 billion people. Economic growth has lifted hundreds of ...
Viewpoint: We need scalable solutions to meet the surging global demand for food. Here’s why biotechnology is key
According to the United Nations, the world’s population is projected to reach nearly ten billion by 2050.1 Against this backdrop, problems ...
Less than 1,300—Our human ancestors were on the verge of extinction one million years ago
[A] groundbreaking study published in the journal Science sheds new light on a dramatic event that nearly erased humans from existence ...
Can genetically modified crops co-exist with the rest of agriculture?
Co-existence and containment of genetically modified (GM) plants has been a contentious issue since GM technologies were first commercially released ...
Viewpoint: Regenerative agriculture that does not include the judicious crop chemicals to fight insects and disease is doomed to fall way short
The Noble Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to farm and ranch education, defines regenerative agriculture as “the process of restoring ...
Viewpoint: RFK, Jr. ignites debate over the American diet and the future of meat but his solutions are simplistic and unrealistic
Now that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has kicked off his Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA Commission, food system advocates ...
Do liberals and conservatives shopping at the supermarket think about food differently? Brain imaging suggests they do
This study examines if the political affiliation of adults who self-identify as Democrat or Republican differs based on brain activity ...
AI race: Can Europe catch up to China and the U.S.?
In October 2024, Jensen Huang, the CEO of AI chipmaker Nvidia, commented that the European Union (EU) lags far behind the U.S ...
Viewpoint: Why Europe is greenlighting crop gene editing while it rejected GMOs?
The European Union is yet to adopt a comprehensive legal definition for NGTs [new genomic techniques] . The current understanding ...
How agricultural drones offer farmers a sustainable edge
Traditional farming tools — big tractors, crop dusters, and lots of human labor — are expensive, inefficient, and hard on ...
EU approved three new GMO corn varieties for import as opposition to genetic engineering eases
In a move that could influence global agricultural policy, the European Commission (EC) has approved the import and use of ...
Viewpoint: Here’s how Environmental Working Group’s Carey Gillam, Le Monde and the Oak Foundation destroy reputations while promoting the tort industry
The small media and political monitoring company v-Fluence – also known for one of its products, Bonus Eventus – has been the target ...
Protein propaganda and expensive pee: Supplement shakes and massive steak consumption have no health benefits and is a waste of money
The nearly ubiquitous social media message is, whoever we are, we need more protein. ... “Whey protein has falsely been ...
Food and beverage companies are overhauling their brands as RFK, Jr.’s ‘transparency campaign’ escalates
For food and beverage companies, complying with additive bans is no longer just about ticking boxes – it is a ...
Gene editing poised to dramatically improve the sustainability profile of tilapia
Brazilian Fish, one of Brazil’s largest tilapia producers, announced it will use genome editing technology to accelerate genetic improvements in ...
Humans may need to evolve faster than nature intended if civilization hopes to survive. What are our chances?
Throughout most of human history, evolution progressed slowly. Small genetic changes took thousands of years to permeate populations. Natural selection ...
Citrus greening antidote in the works: AI deployed to figure out how to fight deadly plant disease
Scientists have uncovered the first known natural defense mechanism against citrus greening disease, a deadly plant illness that has devastated ...
12 far out theories of how the universe works
12. The Ekpyrotic Universe Theory Providing an alternative to the widely accepted Big Bang theory, the ekpyrotic universe theory suggests ...
Food waste: How critical a crisis? What can be done?
The documentary BUY NOW! has ignited important conversations about the impact of consumerism on waste and environmental degradation. The documentary ...
